Ascalon: The Legendary Dragon Slayer
by Blake Zephyr
Summary: His choice had consequences. His death brought them sadness. What happened after he had departed? What triggered the events that had transpired? Let us now join Natsu Dragneel in his journey to find what he had lost, and in doing so, obtain something new on the way.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is owned by the Legendary Hiro Mashima. **

**Ascalon: The Legendary Dragon Slayer**

**Prologue**

..**When Darkness Turns to Light..**

* * *

Darkness.

It was everywhere.

Wherever he looked, it was darkness that looked back.

It was the only thing he could see, the only thing he could feel.

The darkness had swallowed him whole,

And he fell deeper, the shadows consuming him.

**_"Do not be afraid."_**

He reached out.

For the first time in his life, his hands felt cold.

His whole body felt cold.

His vision was blurred, and the only thing he could see was the vast darkness which lay before him.

He could touch nothing; the empty space was all he could reach.

He wanted to hold onto something.

He wanted someone to stop his fall.

But he merely fell deeper, into the dark abyss.

The darkness threatened to wipe out his existence.

**_"Let go."_**

How much time had passed since he had fallen?

When would he cease to fall?

If he landed, would it hurt?

What awaits him at the bottom of this abyss?

These thoughts crossed his mind,

The darkness enticing him to go deeper and deeper.

He refused to abide,

But his body gave up on him,

Enabling the shadows to keep on pulling him,

Deeper and deeper, he fell.

**_"Clear your mind."_**

He remembered.

He was dying.

This was the result of the path he had chosen.

He didn't want to die yet.

For the first time in his life, he wanted someone to rescue him.

He wanted to live on!

But the darkness neglected him.

He simply fell, gravity pulling him towards the never ending darkness.

**_"Focus."_**

He could hear them, the whispers in the dark.

They came from nowhere,

And their echoes were directed at him.

"_Embrace death to become stronger_" a voice declared.

"_How am I to become stronger if I die?_" he questioned.

"_My heart has already been given to someone_" a girl whispered.

"_I'd forsake my love for your happiness" _He said bitterly.

**_"Remember."_**

Yes, he remembered. Bit by bit.

The things he needed to do.

The lives that depended on him.

The people he would leave behind.

The quest he had to finish.

The burden he had to carry.

The love he had forsaken,

And the pain that came with it.

"_If I die, will everything go away?_" he asked aloud,

The shadows danced around him, seemingly mocking him.

His eyes should've adjusted to the dark by now,

But it seemed as if he was falling in a loop.

A void made up of nothing but darkness.

**_"Remember."_**

"_How much longer till this stops?_" he thought.

He closed his eyes, and cleared his thoughts.

He was trying to remember something,

An old prophecy he had forgotten.

An old prophecy he had to fulfill.

**_"Remember."_**

And once more, from the darkness whispers came.

"_Betrayed by the ones you hold dear"_

In his mind, he saw her, the girl he had admired. He reached out, but she didn't reach back. A sharp pain crossed his heart when he remembered, but as soon as it came, it disappeared, and the feeling left him even more saddened.

"_You will seek the man you most fear" _

A young man with black hair was sitting under a withering tree, his eyes closed, and his relaxed form showing a sense satisfaction. He opened his eyes, and showed a smile,

A smile which was full of pain and sorrow.

"_Fall by the hand of the mage of extinction"_

He saw the man yet again, this time, his eyes full of hate and sadness. In the blink of an eye, he was encased in darkness, the scent of death was so strong, so intoxicating.

Was this how he had died?

"_Return to the land where you were imprisoned"_

Finally, he saw one last figure, of gigantic tree rooted on a solitary island.

The place felt distant, yet it seemed so familiar to him.

_**"Look around you."**_

"_The prophecy is nearly complete."_ Someone whispered.

"_Your destiny will soon be realized."_ Another drawled on.

"_Fate has finally begun its move."_ The voices started driving him insane.

He soon realized that gravity was no longer pulling him.

The darkness lingered, he could feel it surrounding him still.

He could still hear the voices, whispering things such as fate and destiny.

He opened his eyes, and saw a tiny glimmer of light.

"_I really must be dead then_" he thought yet again.

**_"Can you feel it?"_**

He shivered,

As the shadows surrounded him,

The warmth he yearned for completely replaced by disheartening cold.

He reached out again, but no one reached back.

**_"Can you sense it?"_**

Millions of minutes must have passed by now.

It seemed that endless hours have been spent as he fell.

By now, he stopped hoping.

He merely wished for everything to go away.

_**"Look closer."**_

Suddenly, the light he saw glowed brighter,

And brighter,

It was seemingly getting bigger.

It was as if he was being lifted upwards,

Drawn back from whence he came.

But he hadn't felt his body move,

Only the light was expanding,

First, towards him,

And then, it covered everything,

Eliminating the darkness,

And destroying the shadows in the process.

_**"Don't lose heart!"**_

But the chill he felt inside remained.

The warmth was still absent.

Maybe the darkness lingered in his heart?

Perhaps the light couldn't reach the depths of his soul?

"_No._" He shook his head at these thoughts.

He didn't want to admit it, but the emptiness he felt,

The hollow void within could only be the cause of something.

Despite the light which surrounded him,

He felt only a single thing,

The last feeling he remembered before he fell:

Sorrow.

_**"Can you hear me?"**_

The voices didn't stop yet.

He grew weaker, and weaker,

Until he couldn't feel his limbs anymore.

His breathing grew more ragged with every passing second.

He was tired.

He wanted to sleep.

**_"Relax. Breathe."_**

He heard it this time.

It was a new voice, a kind and assuring one.

He squinted as the light met his eyes.

He looked around, his eyes flittering across the bright surroundings.

He searched for the owner, and he saw her.

_**"Have you finally decided to listen?"**_

She was a petite girl, with long, wavy blonde hair,

Wings were protruding from her back,

And she was smiling.

In the back of his mind, something told him he knew her.

She seemed very familiar.

"**_Sleep_"**

she whispered.

He wanted to protest,

He tried to call out,

But his eyes started to close.

His breathing slowed down.

He was at peace.

_**"Do not worry, and put your trust in me"**_

The two things he thought about were starting to fade;

An armored girl with beautiful scarlet hair,

And a sword long forgotten, calling out his name.

_**"Rest for now, child, for your journey has yet to start."**_

And with those words, he fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

**And so, it begins.…**

**This is my first fic by the way. It's basically about a sword wielding, Overpowered Natsu Dragneel. The story takes place after the Great Magic Games. I have to warn you though, the fic is slightly AU, and romance would not be emphasized until later chapters. As for pairings, Natsu will end up with a certain character, but until that happens, it would be a NatsuxHarem story. Yay! **

**So, for this time, it's only a teaser for the future events which would happen.**

**..peace..**

**-Blake-**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Fairy Tail is owned by the Legendary Hiro Mashima.

**Ascalon: The Legendary Dragon Slayer**

**Chapter 1:**

**Tears, Changes and Goodbyes**

* * *

_It had been three days since he left._

Rain. It began with the rain, and it ended on a rainy day.

After that, the rain just kept on coming, filling everyone with sorrow, engulfing the joy with darkness. The rain was supposed to wash away the pain, just as it cleansed the surroundings, yet it served as a painful reminder to the citizens of Magnolia. It was supposed to bring happiness after, just as how the rainbow revealed itself after a downpour, yet it only brought more sorrow to the members of Fairy Tail.

Yes, it was raining in Magnolia. It was rather an unusual sight, to see the bustling town which was oftentimes filled with happy-go-lucky locals, merchants and vendors of magical supplies, ordinary townsfolk and magic wielding scholars, give off a rather gloomy aura. It hardly rained in Magnolia, but even then, the majority of the townsfolk was never deterred by the persistence of a rainstorm, and went about doing their businesses. But today was an unusual case; the streets were empty, and the occupants who had decided to go out did so in a clearly visible depressing manner.

One such building stood out in giving off a gloomy presence. The town's pride and joy, the guild that had triumphed over countless challenges, despite having destroyed an important landmark or building (or two at that): Fairy Tail, Fiore's number one guild. It was the most awesome, coolest, super powerful, unbeatable (and a lot of other unspoken words too many to be written) guild which was ever formed by the hands of man (err, actually, a fairy, and a woman at that). However, the usually rambunctious, disorderly and noisy guild which never failed to impress (or annoy the townsfolk), was eerily quiet.

Fairy Tail had its ups and downs. The guild had been rebuilt on several occasions; once, when a neighboring guild had waged an all-out-war on them, and when the guild went bankrupt due to the loss of its most powerful members. Its members had endured a continuous amount of trials, yet despite these obstructions which hindered them from progressing, the guild never ran out of optimism, constantly looking for a solution to their problems, and continuously persevering to obtain these solutions through any means necessary.

Which begs the question, what the hell happened, to make the rain so unbearable? What has happened in this town called Magnolia, within the protection of the four corners of the guild named Fairy Tail? What turbulence has been caused to make its members so downcast and disheartened?

* * *

_It had been three days since they last saw him._

A single look within the guild halls was all it took to identify the amount of mourning the Fairy Tail members had indulged themselves in. The guild fights FT was famous for was not taking place at the moment. Some of the guild members were nowhere to be seen, either they were absent for the day, or they were out on jobs. One thing remained within the premises of the guild building though: silence. It was currently omnipresent; it engulfed and filled every nook and cranny in the guild. Nobody was doing any talking, and the guild members showed the opposites of their usual dispositions.

Wakaba, Macao and Cana Alberona, notorious for being the guild's heavy drinkers (mostly the latter, though), were not indulging themselves in booze, which was kind of unusual, considering their reputation to drink from early morning to midnight (again, the brunette was to be pointed out). Others might have considered this to be some kind of break from the drinking, but what made the event mysterious was the hidden fact that the three hadn't had a single drop of alcohol in their systems since morning, and they never took breaks from drinking. This was a clear telltale sign of a tragedy.

Max, Warren and Reedus were at a far table. A closer inspection showed that the three were fast asleep, half filled mugs littered around the table. Max was muttering something, he was probably dreaming, and tears were falling from his eyes. Warren had his head on the table, apparently suffering from a terrible nightmare; he was shaking and screaming in his sleep, but no one bothered waking him up. Reedus held a sketchbook across his belly, a painting of a pink haired teen could be seen on the current page.

Nab and Vjeeter were sulking in a corner. The latter was sitting still, instead of doing his usual dancing amidst the chaos that usually happened, while the former was staring at a single piece of paper. Nab was looking through the job description of the very first quest he had engaged himself in; after spending a very long time pacing the request board, he had finally decided to take on a job himself. However, the two men had the same expression on their faces: sadness.

Team Shadow Gear sat together at one table. No conversations were being made; they were merely sitting there for no apparent reason. Jet, which was known to be quite talkative, had completely shut his mouth for today's mourning session (no pun intended). Droy, the obese plant-mage had arranged a variety of food in front of him, but all of the exemplary dishes which Mira, the barmaid cooked were left unfinished. He had a half-eaten kidney pie on his fork, and the look on his face showed that he had completely forgotten his appetite, probably due to the unease in the environment. Levy, the team's only flower, held a single book to her face. The blue-haired girl had tied her hair in a ponytail, which she did occasionally, and by doing so, earned her praises and declarations of love from her two male teammates. However, those two teammates of hers weren't complimenting her on her looks at the moment, and she didn't seem to mind. She was probably engrossed in the book in front of her, but a close look at her face showed a look of gloom, and tears seemed to be building in her eyes.

The Strauss siblings were huddled in the bar, apparently comforting each other. The youngest Lissana, was obviously crying; dark patches could be seen from her under her bloodshot eyes. Elfman, the middle child, had a stony look. The 18 year old had a body similar to that of a pro wrestler, yet his face revealed a childish look. He was on the verge of bursting out in tears, the only thing that kept him from doing so was his ideals on being "manly", and being manly meant that he could never show a crying fit, especially around his two siblings. Mira, the eldest, looked grim. The beautiful 19 year old barmaid was one of the guild's strongest and most beautiful, and her cheery disposition enlightened everyone, yet like the others, she was showing an unnaturally sad face.

Laxus and Gajeel were quietly drinking at the guild's second floor. It was unusual to see these two together; yet here they were, drinking away what was left untouched by the guild's drunkards. The two Dragonslayers were so alike, yet they were so different. They used to be enemies; their first encounter had been as enemies though they were in the same guild, but today's image on the two revealed a closer relationship. They were apparently discussing something with small voices, and their expressions had a tinge of gloom in them. Near them were the Raijinshuu, seemingly teary eyed and tired. Bixslow, Evergreen and Freed merely observed their surroundings, finding things to distract them from the uneasy feeling within the guild. Pantherlily was nowhere in sight.

Makarov Dreyar, the guildmaster, was sitting on one of the horizontal beams on the roof. He held a mug on one hand, and piece of crumpled paper with scrawny writings on another. He sighed, and took a sip on his cold beer. He appeared to be in deep thought, and his eyes stared on the writings the paper had been inscribed in. His face had a stony expression, and his eyes were hard. As the guild's master, he had to show a tough exterior to his children, but deep within, his heart wavered. Though it didn't show, he felt even more despair than everyone, apparently blaming himself for the tragedy which caused the silence within the guild. He sighed again, and took another sip, realizing the mug he held was emptied. He shook his head and jumped. Despite his miniscule size compared to everyone, he landed with grace, and proceeded to walk to his quarters. He needed to think.

It seemed that Gildartz, the ace of Fairy Tail, was still enjoying his little adventure on the outdoors. It was lucky no one informed him yet of what had happened, because surely, he'd have broken down the entire building in a fit of rage and sadness.

Simply put, everyone looked down. But the members who were greatly affected looked worse.

Sitting in their usual table were a few members of the guild's strongest team. They seemed to have taken the blow the hardest.

* * *

_It had been three days since they heard from him._

Gray was shaking, whether it was from anger or despair, his brows were crunched, his eyes were closed and tears slowly fell one by one from them. He was unexpectedly not naked; it seemed he had been able to keep his clothes for an entire day, a feat worthy of praise. But he didn't need praise, he needed comfort, he wanted to believe the news were untrue.

He needed to believe **he** would come back. How was he to become stronger without that guy? How would **he** surpass him if **he** wasn't here?

Juvia was right by his side, trying to cheer up the ice mage, but to no avail. She too, had been affected by the news, but she didn't show it. She was greatly concerned of her Gray-sama, and dismissed the thought of moping around like the rest of the guild.

Wendy was distraught. She couldn't take the news well, and she spent the day with her head rested on the table, muffling her cries and pleas for him to come back. No one managed to comfort the little Dragonslayer. That guy had been like a brother to her, and it was because of him that she was rooted in this guild. She had never been so happy when they had met, and she probably would never be as happy again since his departure.

Wendy wanted him to be there with everyone. She wanted him to be there as a model for her. She wanted to search for their lost parents together. She wanted him back.

The guild needed him back.

Happy was ironically unhappy. The blue Exceed had been devastated when he heard. He wanted to fly and search for him, but the others wouldn't permit it. He didn't believe the news, and he had spent the last two nights flying, searching for leads, but he came back exhausted empty handed. Charle had tried her best to comfort her male counterpart; she managed to convince him to stop the search for the sake of his health. Not even the promise of fish could stop the blue Exceed from bursting to tears.

Why did **he** leave? Why didn't Happy know of his departure? The Exceed cried and cried, not because of the lack of trust he was entrusted, but because of the loss of a precious friend.

Lucy was crying.

She had been crying since the incident.

She had been crying her eyes out since they had known what had happened.

She had felt devastated since the news had reached them.

It was as if she would never stop crying now.

It had been he who had made the biggest impact on her entire life, and it had been he who had saved her countless times. He was the closest person to her in the guild, her closest confidante and friend. Yes, he was annoying and childish, and yes, he got on her nerves from time to time, but he always managed to clear up her troubles.

He had always managed to overcome everyone's fears.

And if he couldn't do it, he solved their problems by burning their troubles away.

Two of the team members were absent. The team's resident armor mage was nowhere in sight.

The absence of the last member, who was considered the leader of the bunch, didn't go unnoticed.

T'was he who they needed in times like these, and it was he who seemed to be the cause of everything which had occurred.

The undefeatable Salamander.

The famed Fire Dragonslayer.

The Hero of the Daimatou Enbu.

The undying flame of Fairy Tail.

It seemed impossible, but he had fallen,

The Salamander had been slain,

The Hero had lost,

The undying flame had been consumed by shadows,

And the light he radiated had been snuffed by the darkness.

Natsu Dragneel was gone.

* * *

_It had been three days since he died._

The rain kept growing stronger. The roar of thunder could be heard, and flashes of lightning illuminated the grey skies.

Hours passed, but the gloom lingered. By then, nearly everyone had succumbed to the sorrow. They had been crying and wailing. The loss was too much for Fairy Tail to handle. Some were hesitant to believe that such fate had befallen the guild's mightiest member. They wanted evidence, a reason to believe that he had really passed away, and such reason was provided by one of his closest friends.

Suddenly, the guild doors opened.

A slender figure entered, armor clad, scarlet hair dripping from the rain.

There she was, Team Natsu's female knight.

She was Erza Scarlet, the one who brought the news of his death.

She had Natsu's scarf wrapped tightly on her neck. For some reason, the white scarf had been turned black, and an ominous miasma came from it.

Erza Scarlet didn't seem to mind. She stood there, her alabaster skin paler that usual, her scarlet hair having lost its shine, and dark bags were under her eyes. She seemed to have held back her tears, but she was close to breaking. Her face showed no emotion, and she walked past the mourning members, who didn't seem to mind her presence.

She stopped, inspected the guild, and for some reason, suddenly changed her expression.

Her beautiful face showed an emotion of anger.

"Erza" Lucy muttered.

She hadn't showed up since she broke down the news.

It was she, who had been tasked to find him,

And it was she who had taken his death for the worst.

Ever since she returned from her task, she had locked herself up in her room. No one dared approach her, fearing the wrath of Titania in despair.

This was the first time they had seen her since.

"What are you all doing? Why is the guild in such a depressing state?" Erza shouted.

The mourning members flinched at her words.

"Seriously, when will you guys recover? We have no time to dawdle! Time is upon us, do you think Natsu would be happy if he saw us in such a state?!" She lectured on.

"But Erza, he's dead! How can we even think of preparations with this in mind?" Lucy answered between sobs.

"Lucy's right! It wouldn't be right if we just disregard this and continue on as if nothing had happened!" Gray followed.

"How can you be so cold Erza? I thought you were his friend! Wasn't he precious to you as well?" Macao retorted.

"Erza, can't we just take our time remembering him? You know how important he was to the guild, and this is our way of showing our respects to Natsu." Mirajane kindly answered, tears rolling on her face.

Erza bit her lip, she refused to give up. Why couldn't they understand her? Natsu was important to her as well.

She remembered it, his words, the words that would scar her for the rest of her life.

"_You still love him, don't you? If that is the case, I'd forsake my love for your happiness."_ And with a sad face, he smiled the sincere smile he was known for.

"_No, such thoughts are unnecessary_" she shook her head mentally.

"Can't we just move on for Natsu's sake? We need to prepare, war is upon us! We don't have the time to mourn day and night for him. Please." Erza pleaded.

She looked around, everyone avoided her gaze. She looked downcast. She had been hoping to encourage them, but should have known the impact of Natsu's death was too great.

She looked down, and slowly walked to the door. With one last look, she said in a loud voice.

"Natsu would have wanted us to move on. He would've been angry at us for showing a gloomy state. I know you would hate me for saying this, but Natsu would have hated it if we mourned for him."

She remembered her vision, about a rampaging Natsu showing his anger in her supposed funeral.

"What I'm trying to say is, we shouldn't just forget about him, but we should let his death be an inspiration for us to become stronger, so that deaths like this would never happen in the future."

With that, she left, and departed from the guild. It was still raining hard, and it didn't matter to her. His death still weighed heavily in her heart.

"_Natsu, why did you have to save me again? You really were an idiot till death"_

As soon as she reached her room, a flash of light indicated that she had changed, or rather, requipped into another set of clothes. After the light died out, a partially naked Erza Scarlet could be seen, with only a yellow towel wrapped to cover her astonishingly curvaceous body. The black scarf she had on vanished with her armor.

She went and heated up the bath. After confirming the heat of the water, she took off her towel, drenched herself with a cold shower, and steadily entered the bathtub. The heat was comforting, especially after spending the day soaked in rain, and it entranced her to relax. Soon after, her eyes started drooping, and the sounds of dripping water lulled her to sleep.

She dreamt of it again, of the day she had lost him.

* * *

_The sounds of battle could be heard from afar._

_Erza was running towards the source of the commotion._

_Rain started to fall. The grey clouds came together, and thunder kept roaring, seemingly mocking her at her futile attempts to save someone._

_It was hard, the battle dragged on to different places, and the two combatants kept going from one place to another._

_Erza, who had a variety of armor to suit different situation, merely ran._

_She was worried, so worried for him. Panic overtook her._

_She reached a clearing near a cliff, and there, she saw the two combatants fighting._

_One had black hair, with bangs covering a portion of his face. He wore a black robe, with a white sash tied diagonally from his right shoulder to his waist. The man radiated an evil presence, which made the air around him noxious._

_Erza thought for a while, and then, she remembered a description similar to this man._

_Black hair. Black robe. White sash._

_She looked around, and saw the vegetation in the area wilting, black marks of decay signifying and confirming her fears._

_Death Magic._

_This man was Zeref._

_The other man was panting. His breathing was ragged, fury written on his face. He had pink locks, and he wore a black vest, whose sleeves had been torn, the waistcoat he wore with it was drilled with holes. The white cargo pants he wore were shredded, and his scaled scarf, though dirtied, had an ominous glint despite the lack of sunlight in the area._

_Erza had spent the last day looking for this man, and here he was._

_Natsu Dragneel was fighting for his life._

_She realized she had been standing near the edge of a cliff, and then,_

_Erza froze; it was as if she was bound by some kind of magic, rooting her on that single spot, unable to speak, unable to help._

_She could only watch as the battle continued._

_Time moved forward._

_The black mage gazed in her direction._

"_It seems that we have a visitor" he muttered darkly._

_Natsu looked at the direction Zeref had been gazing at._

_His eyes grew large._

"_What are you doing here, Erza?!" He shouted._

_Erza struggled to answer, but she couldn't move._

"_I have to end this now." Zeref whispered sadly._

_With that, he vanished from sight,_

_Erza struggled to look for him, but she was still paralyzed, rooted on the same spot and position since she had arrived._

_Fear crawled up towards her heart._

_It didn't show, but she was scared._

"_No!" Natsu shouted._

_Zeref rematerialized in front of her._

_Panic overtook him. Will he reach her in time?_

_He took notice of a solitary flame flickering between the two._

_A flame he had caused since he had engaged the black mage._

"_I'm sorry, but it ends here Natsu" Zeref stated, tears starting fall from his eyes._

_A swirl of black magic gathered around him. The evil miasma started to suffocate her._

"_Goodbye, friend of Natsu" he said, as black waves released themselves from his body._

_Erza felt like the time had been completely stopped._

_She closed her eyes._

_She remembered those words._

"_I'd forsake my love for your happiness." These words weighed heavily in her heart._

_She waited for death to hit her,_

_But it never came._

_Instead, warmth spread itself on her._

_A sound similar to slurping could be heard._

_And someone gulped, as if he was swallowing something._

_She hesitantly opened her eyes._

_Time seemed to stand still._

_There he was, holding her like there was no tomorrow._

_He had covered her with his white scarf, which had been turned black._

_She was looking at his face, and she grabbed hold of those pink locks._

_How had he managed to get here so fast?_

_And how was he able to save her?_

_She smiled, but it didn't last long._

_She connected the dots, and instantly, fear came back._

"_So you finally had the courage to embrace death, huh Natsu." The dark mage said casually._

"_No! Natsu, what did you do?!" She asked, though she knew the answer._

"_It seems he ate my Death Magic, and protected you from the excess magic with his scarf" Zeref answered for him._

"_Who would've known that he had such a speedy technique to get to you though" he added._

_Erza looked back from where he had stood. A trail of fire could be seen on the ground._

"_I'm glad I reached you in time" Natsu muttered weakly and smiled._

_His skin started to grow paler._

_His eyes started to dim._

_He grew weaker, and his heart slowed down._

_Erza was speechless. Tears were forming in her eyes._

"_Please, don't cry. Promise me you won't cry again" he said, still smiling._

"_Natsu, no! "she cried aloud._

"_Goodbye, Erza. Please, take care of everyone." He whispered._

"_Finally, the first part of your prophecy is nearly complete."Zeref declared sadly, yet he was smiling._

_He pointed a finger at Erza._

"_**Dormi!**__" he shouted_

_Erza felt her consciousness slipping away._

_She remembered where she stood, at the edge of a cliff._

_Natsu, with what was left of his dying strength, pulled her to safety,_

_But he himself fell as he leaned over to save Erza._

_As Erza landed at the hard ground, her strength and sight completely gave up on her._

_The last thing she heard were whispers saying "I Love You"._

_And the last thing she saw, was the image of a falling Natsu, whose eyes were closed,_

_And whose heart had stopped beating._

* * *

"No!" Erza screamed.

She was panting heavily. She looked around, and found herself immersed in a now cold bath. She was shaking, not from the cold, but from the vivid images she had seen yet again in her nightmares.

She wanted to cry so badly, but every time her tears started falling, she'd stop.

"_Please, don't cry. Promise me you won't cry again"_

These words echoed in her thoughts, every single time. She held back her tears since then.

Erza got up from the bath, and slowly went towards the bathroom mirror. She gazed at her own image, her reflection showing beautiful form in a bad state. Her eyes had heavy bags under them and her skin was as pale as snow. The image in front of her showed a slight frown and her brown eyes refused to give their usual brilliance.

Suddenly, light emerged from her body, and as it died out, her then naked body was once again shielded by the yellow towel she wore before. She noticed water dripping from her hair, and she went off to get another towel to dry it.

When Erza came out of the bath, she noticed to things as she looked outside her window: First, the heavy rain had transited into a light drizzle, and the dark clouds which surrounded Magnolia were starting to disappear, and…

…"RUMBLE"...The sound came from Titania's tummy…

…Second, she was hungry.

10 minutes later, a dressed Erza was sitting in her dining room. She had donned her white blouse and blue skirt, and in front of her, a simple meal was prepared. She took a bite out of the eggs she had fried, and almost spat them out from the saltiness. She proceeded to eat at a slow pace; not noticing the rice she had eaten was undercooked.

Yup, they were right. Erza was a bad cook.

The green tea was the only thing which seemed normal, or tasty. She took a sip after pouring some, and felt relaxed after the hot liquid flowed down her throat.

She still had that frown on her face, and she still had Natsu in her thoughts.

She got up from the table, deciding to leave the mess for later, and went to the nearest window. She unlocked it with ease, and the breeze met her as the windows swung open.

The rain had finally died out, and as the clouds parted, she could see that the sun was starting to set. Time flew so quickly, and it seemed that her dream hastened the flow of the day.

Erza smiled as she gazed ahead.

She looked at the sinking sun. It was so like Him: It gave off a vibrant aura, and cheered you up, in spite of the troubles you had, and the turmoil within you. When the light leaves, it makes you sad and lonely all of a sudden, wishing that the night that followed wouldn't come. But then, when the darkness was starting to fade, and morning was near, it made you shiver in anticipation for the beginning of a new day bathed in light.

The sun was very much like Natsu.

When he was around, everyone cheered up. His antics could brighten up the gloomiest day, and his smile could burn away all your problems.

When he left, silence lingered, and fun times you'd have together disappeared.

When he was gone, you yearned for his return, for the day to go back to how it was before he left, and for the joy that he brought with him to remain.

But now, he really was gone, just like the setting sun.

Only this time, he wasn't returning.

She remembered the things that had happened up until now.

As the stars started to appear, she recounted the events which had transpired, memories as many as the lights in the sky.

She closed her eyes for the second time, and she remembered.

Memories flashed in her eyes, and the past came back to haunt her.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_Everyone held their breaths as they looked at a lacrima projection. It showed a spiky, pink-haired boy raising his right arm, in the form of victory. Though he was bruised and scratched all over, he showed his trademark grin. The scarf he wore on his neck was flying back and forth due to the wind._

_He cradled a blue cat on his left arm, the feline seemingly dozing due to fatigue._

_Around him were his fallen comrades, who had been his competitors for the day's battles. He stood amidst their bodies, which were seemingly beaten and broken, but not devoid of life._

_Yes, beaten and broken by him no less._

"_We have a winner!" A voice declared._

_Everyone cheered at the spectacle which had occurred. The viewers from the guild shouted and cried with loud voices. However, the event was merely finished halfway, for the next battle would decide this pink-haired man's fate._

"_Natsu Dragneel has won the first trial, now all that is left is for him to defeat his next adversary!" The voice continued on._

_Fear and excitement coursed in his veins. The adrenaline he had released was still affecting him, lifting him in high spirits. Despite the fatigue which persisted on different parts of his body, Natsu Dragneel still wanted more: More action, more fights, and most of all, more glory. He had been waiting for this event his entire life and he was not going to let this chance slip again._

_With a roar, he shouted to the sky._

"_Yeeah! I'm gonna win this damn S-class exam. You better watch out Laxus, cause I'm gonna kick your ass! You're going down!" Natsu pointed to a nearby lacrima._

_In particular, he was addressing a tall blonde haired man, who, upon seeing the rude teen gesture toward him via lacrima, merely smirked. He wore a purple sleeveless shirt which emphasized the stony muscles on his arms, and white tight-fit pants, complete with black leather boots. Lightning sparked and cackled around his body._

"_You're on brat. This is going to be interesting." He whispered to himself._

_With him were two female mages, one wearing a sleeveless dress of similar color, with her silver hair tied in a ponytail, and the other clad in armor with an intricate cross design, an unusual color of red stained on her hair. Between them stood an old guy of short stature, who was grinning from ear to ear._

"_It seems that Natsu is one step closer to reaching his dreams of becoming S-class" says the silver haired mage._

"_Yes, it seems that way. Finally, the day that he officially becomes one of this guilds strongest has come" replied the redhead. _

"_Are you guys forgetting that he still has to get past me in order for that to happen? Do you guys think of me as a weakling?" The blonde questioned._

"_Why, of course not Laxus. You are one of this guild's top mages, but Natsu is no pushover either, heck, he probably is stronger than me or Erza" the silver haired beauty countered._

"_I agree with Mira on that one, besides, he has already beaten you on one occasion. There is a possibility that you would be beaten again." The armor mage blurted out._

"_Hush now everyone, we'll see what happens. If Natsu does win, and I do believe he has it in him, then he will be promoted to S-class. However, you two must be ready in case his partner doesn't wake up. In the instance that it happens, you girls know what to do." The old man voiced out._

"_Yes Master" they both replied._

"_Hmph, I hope Happy doesn't wake up too soon. This would make things more exciting." Laxus declared, a grin plastered on his face._

_The next fight was going to be interesting indeed._

* * *

**Dunduduun! The first chapter is up! As you may have noticed, the last part's event is actually the year's S-class exams. What? I totally skipped the first part? Well, fear not, there will be a little flashback about the battle royale in the next chapter. (A flashback within a flashback? Kinda cool right?) The next part will also begin the fight between Natsu and Laxus for the S-class exams finale, but the battle will have a twist. I'll leave you hanging here.**

**BTW, the prologue has been updated. check it out if you haven't read it.**

**The next chapter will likely come out 2-3 weeks from now, cause I'm going to be busy with school.**

**Don't worry, I assure y'all that it's going to be a long one.( I'm working on writing 10,000 words for it!)**

**Oh yeah, "Dormi" is actually latin for Sleep. I'm planning on using latin terms in the future. I'm not that good though..**

**Please Rate and Review! It helps, seriously!**

**..peace..**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: **Fairy Tail is owned by the Legendary Hiro Mashima.**

**Ascalon: The Legendary Dragon Slayer**

**Chapter 2:**

**Ghosts of Passing Days**

* * *

Memories.

She recounted them, though they were as many as the stars. Through the darkness and into the light, the memories entered her mind, bit by bit, little by little.

She took them all in, though the memories were as vast as the infinite sky. The darkness inched closer towards the horizon, threatening to cover the day with another night filled with shadows. The last light of the sun shimmered in the distance, splashing the sky with an array of bright colors, before they slowly vanished. The sun was at its lowest now, and pretty soon it would be gone, and the day would be overcome by the silence of the night.

But the memories remained.

And she remembered.

The past came rushing, unveiling the memories it withheld. Images flashed before her eyes, and the sight of a rose haired boy was shown to her.

She held back a sob.

The ghosts of yesterday came back to haunt her.

A ghost. That's what he had become. A ghost from the past, a being which ceased to exist after he had died.

A ghost, whose only purpose was to bring despair, to invade the dreams which she would have.

Yet, she didn't want him to become a memory. She wanted him here, together with their friends, their guild, their nakama…

With her.

To her, he would never disappear. The ideals which he carried were imprinted in their minds. The inspirations he had given were sealed in their hearts, and the joy he emitted would stay in the crevices of their souls, forever, never forgotten.

She had been staring at the sun for too long now, but the light it showered failed to hurt her eyes. As the sun sank deeper and deeper into the horizon, the darkness grew, and the warmth was slowly replaced by the evening chill.

The sounds of shouts echoed in her thoughts.

Then she saw the ghosts of passing days, fighting for their lives.

She saw Natsu Dragneel, and the burden he shouldered.

* * *

**Tenrou Island-Year X794**

**(One month after the Daimatou Enbu)**

To say that Natsu was tired was a complete understatement.

Natsu was in fact, extremely exhausted. If he had to take a guess, he'd say his magic reserves had about twenty percent of his total magic power left. Thank God he didn't need to open his second origin yet. If he had, he would surely be wiped out from his next match. On top of that, Happy, his partner, was currently unconscious.

"Haappyy, wake up buddy. Please wake up, I need you in the next match." Natsu called, shaking his partner in the process.

"There will be fish after. Come on buddy, wake up!" Natsu shook Happy even harder, but it only brought a negative outcome; Happy's half lidded eyes became spirals, and it seemed as if his soul was coming out from his mouth.

"Shit! Happy, don't die on me man! Come on, wake up buddy, pretty please? I promise I'll give you all the fish I can get."He continued shaking the poor cat, oblivious to the fact that he was only pushing Happy deeper into lala land.

"_How the hell did it come to this?_"Natsu asked himself.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"Had enough pinky?!" A half naked Gray shouted.

"In your dreams, stripper!" Natsu shouted back.

"I'm not done yet, I can still fight!" A semi-conscious Elfman proclaimed weakly.

"Shut up!" Gray and Natsu said in sync.

"**Ice Make: Hammer!" **

"**Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" **

The duo called simultaneously. Both spells hit a single target: Elfman, who completely slipped from consciousness after being hit, but not before muttering a single word.

"Man."He declared, and passed out, the two spells crushing and burning him.

"Now that the nuisances have been taken care of, let's go back from where we were." Gray held the same stance as he talked.

Natsu merely grinned.

"Time to see who's fit to be called S-Class, and who's stronger than whom." Natsu replied smirking.

Bodies were littered here and there. From sixteen strong mages, they were now down to two.

Why were they fighting though? Well the answer is simple, really.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_**Fairy Tail Guild**_

_**(3 days before)**_

"What?!" That was the first question on everyone's minds when they heard what the Master had said this morning.

"I said, I'm resuming the S-class exams, you idiots. I swear, this guild's becoming deafer than me, and I'm supposed to be the oldest here." Makarov Dreyar proclaimed.

A month after the Grand Magic Games took place, and this is what they get, yet another troublesome event. But, a few members were ecstatic over the news.

"Hold on Gramps! So does this mean that the participants will be the same as before?" Gray was the first to break out from the confusion.

"Well, yes and no, perhaps." The Master replied curtly.

"What do mean old man?! Answer us clearly!" Natsu demanded. The others nodded in support

"Fine! You young ones are an impatient bunch! Yes, the participants will be the same, except for a new entry, who will replace that Doranbolt guy." The master retorted.

On hearing this, a few neglected members puffed their chests proudly, thinking that they might have hit the chance to finally gain more screen time.

"This is it, the moment I have been waiting for! Time to impress Levy-chan!" Jet and Droy declared simultaneously.

"We'll show Natsu that he won't get all the glory this time." Max, Warren and Alzack thought.

"S-class means more booze." Wakaba and Macao proclaimed, raising their mugs, which were full of booze.

"S-class equals more job offers, and maybe I'll finally be able to find my destined job!" Nab shouted, stars in his eyes.

"Sigh. Boys will always be boys." Bisca said casually, shaking her head.

"And how are you supposed to be chosen if you always hang around the request board?"Lucy looked at Nab incredulously.

"Now, now, time to re-announce the participants." Makarov said with a smile. He coughed hard and continued.

"Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Cana Alberona, Juvia Lockser, Levy Mcgarden, Freed Justine and Elfman Strauss will be re-participating. And for our new entry…" He paused and looked around.

Cue drumroll…

Everyone looked at him hopefully.

"Gajeel Redfox" Makarov finished.

"What?!" was the last thought everyone had on their minds.

"Got a problem, punks?" Gajeel looked around smugly.

* * *

And it so happened that the first trial was a no-holds barred, battle royale. The last man standing would win for his team, and was to battle an S-class mage, Laxus, who was picked through lottery.

Luckily, the tests were once again held on Tenrou, which was an assurance, since it meant all of the participants were safe from the call of death.

It didn't calm all of the members though, due to the fact that the guild nearly lost its core members in this very same island seven years ago…

…Natsu nearly had another flashback, but he shook himself away from zoning out.

The pink haired Dragonslayer looked around him.

He saw the unconscious forms of some of his guildmates, the other participants of the S-class exams. He recounted what had happened to each of them, mentally imagining the previous things that had occurred. He looked up, and started counting the fingers in his hands.

"Hmm. So Lucy and Cana fought with Lisanna and Juvia. Juvia collapsed after I burned the perv's pants and underwear, and Lisanna was left on her own to fight the two." Natsu thought.

He looked towards the area where Juvia was currently lying on. Despite the worn out look she sported, her eyes had hearts in them. Natsu scratched his head, not getting why the girl would become more infatuated after seeing Gray's private parts. Sure, she did collapse after seeing them, that's how normal girls would react, but why did her eyes have hearts in them? Natsu shook his head.

"Hold on, when did you get a new set of pants?" Natsu pointed at Gray. Before Gray could answer, Natsu cut him off.

"Well, it's doesn't matter anyway, seeing as how you're gonna lose them yet again." Natsu shrugged.

"Then Levy came out of nowhere, and took Lisanna down with Wendy's support. After that, the battle went on between Cana'a and Levy's team, but I didn't catch who had won. Well, both teams are down, and it makes my job easier." Natsu nodded his head at the thought. Gray was eyeing him with a curious look.

"Oh yeah! Happy must've done **that** to them. Hehe" Natsu was grinning like crazy by this time.

A shout brought him out of his musings.

"**Ice-Make: Lance!" **

Gray extended his arms, and out came long, frozen projectiles, which extended towards Natsu, who, upon realizing that he was under attack, jumped out of the way, evading the lances which came with mastered timing. Gray however, was persistent, and continued showering the fire mage with a barrage of lances, which were all directed at Natsu. This time, Natsu chose to run and avoid the projectiles, rolling to one side to evade an ice lance, ducking to avoid another which almost impaled him, and running around the battlefield once more to find a safe hiding spot. He found a large boulder, and hid behind it, safe from Gray's field of vision. Why hide though? Well, it was because Natsu was preoccupied at the moment.

"Where the hell are looking, you snotty bastard?! I'm over here, dumbass!" Gray shouted.

"What the hell are you doing while a man's thinking, you perv?!" Natsu retorted from his hiding spot.

"Hah, it's no use Natsu, even if you think of a plan to attack me, it'll never work!" Gray countered, preparing for another spell.

"Who says I was thinking of a plan to beat you?! I don't need to waste my time thinking in order to kick your ass!" Natsu said with confidence.

"Now, where was I?" Natsu said to himself.

Gray was somehow pissed.

"Oi, don't you dare ignore me pinky! Hey, come out, or I'm gonna come to you!" Gray called.

A dark shadow loomed over Gray.

"It is you who should watch out, Gray" A cold voice said.

Gray heard the sound of metal piercing the place where he had been, before he jumped out due to reflex.

"Ho, I thought squinty took care of you." Gray beckoned to a man with long, black hair, his right arm reminiscent to that of a steel sword with jagged edges. Metal rods pierced different pieces of flesh on his body, and the man looked very intimidating with his blood red eyes.

"It's too bad that I managed to get up after his spell hit." Gajeel replied sneering.

"Yeah, it is too bad that the jerk won't be able to brag about defeating you too, Gajeel." Gray readied his next spell.

* * *

"So that makes six men, err, women down. Hmm." Natsu spotted Freed and Bixslow next to each other.

"Freed and Bixslow were overpowering Gajeel and Lily. Hell, those two have some seriously strong combinations. Freed trapped Gajeel in his runes, then Bixslow took Lily down by possessing his buster sword." Natsu recalled.

"Loki came from God knows where, hit Freed with his magic, and gave Bixslow a serious beating. However, the runes broke off when Evergreen tinkered with them, freeing Gajeel in the process. I dunno why she did that though, well, it was probably to make the fight more interesting. Freed and Bixslow took Ever down and Gajeel once again joined the fray. Next.." Natsu smirked.

"Happy distracted Gray and Elfman, who were picking a fight with me. I sneaked towards the four like a ninja, and finished them off with my **Fire Dragon's Roar**! That plan was genius, if I do say so myself." Natsu said chuckling.

"Freed, Bixslow and Loki dropped after, but Gajeel was still standing. Gajeel and I exchanged fists after." Natsu scrunched his brows, trying to remember what happened next.

Natsu still had his back on the boulder, and he heard a fight breaking out behind him. The sound of slashes, shouts, and explosions could only mean one thing.

He smiled.

It seems there were still three combatants left after all.

"Hmm, so Gajeel is still standing. Then.." Natsu paused.

"Juvia, Lisanna, Levy, Cana, Lucy, Wendy, Lily, Ever, Bixslow, Loki." He muttered, counting ten fingers before moving on.

"Now, since Gajeel is still here, I can't cross him out yet." Natsu said, trying to focus again. The sounds of ragged breathing reached his ears, telling Natsu that the current battle was drawing to a close.

" Gajeel and I were fighting, then Happy crashed into him, distracting him and enabling me to hit the smackdown on his iron ass!" Natsu pictured Happy using Max Speed on Gajeel, knocking him with such force that Gajeel lost his balance, and Natsu finished Gajeel with his **Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist**. Happy became unconscious after.

"Geez, I seriously thought he was down and out, but well, it makes the battle more thrilling." Natsu took a peek at the two combatants. Steel and ice clashed, both forces not willing to back down. Natsu shook his head and resumed his thinking.

"Elfman and Gray were wrapping up their fight, and I joined in, seeing as we were supposed to be the last three fighters. We kicked Elfman out, I stopped to think, and Gajeel got back up to settle things with Gray." Natsu counted thirteen fingers.

"Which means, after their fight, there are going to be two mages left!" Natsu exclaimed.

As if on cue, the boulder that Natsu was hiding behind was destroyed, Gajeels's beaten body being the reason behind its destruction. Natsu had managed to roll to one side before Gajeel's body connected with the large rock. It seems the Iron Dragonslayer didn't have any more strength to continue.

"Finally, now ALL of the distractions are taken care of!" Gray said in exasperation.

"Wait a minute, if Gray's number fifteen on my list, then who's the last person I have to beat up?" Natsu cried, completely forgetting the fact that he was part of the sixteen. Typical Natsu.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Gray cried.

"You're the idiot!" Natsu charged towards Gray, his fists ablaze.

"**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" **Natsu exclaimed, but before his attack had connected, Gray had already prepared his spell.

"**Ice-Make: Shield!"** Gray shielded himself from the dragonslayer's attack. The attack was pretty strong, but it wasn't enough to break his shield. Large cracks appeared on the ice shield's surface.

"**Fire Dragon's Flaming Elbow!" **Flames erupted from Natsu's right elbow, boosting his previous attack. This time, the shield was starting to break, not to mention the intensity of the heat which threatened to melt it. Before it shattered completely, Gray had decided to fall back a bit, but not before letting out another spell.

"**Ice-Make: Floor!"** The ground froze instantly from where had had been standing. Natsu couldn't react immediately, so he slipped, and landed on his butt. Gray instantly followed up with another spell.

"**Ice-Make: Knuckle!"** A huge fist appeared from the frozen ground, launching Natsu into the air and damaging him. Natsu, however, didn't want to go down without a fight. (Ironic, considering he was up in the air.)

Natsu turned in midair, regained his sense of balance, and cast a spell as he fell.

"**Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"** His left hand met his right, and the flames which collided merged into a single huge fireball, which Natsu threw towards the ice mage. Gray retaliated with long distance magic, thinking of meeting the spell with another, instead of dodging it.

"**Ice-Make: Cannon!" **A large bazooka made out of ice appeared in his hands. He took aim, and fired.

Fire and ice met each other. When they collided, the two spells simply canceled each other out. Natsu landed back onto the ice-free ground.

"Didn't expect that to happen." Gray murmured. He was running low on magic power. The first trials had started four hours ago, which meant that he had been using magic for four hours straight, without resting. It had been a while since he used that much magic power. He looked over towards his pink haired opponent.

Like him, the Dragonslayer looked rather worn out, but unlike him, the jerk still managed to show off a confident smirk.

It was time to wrap things up.

And it looked as if Natsu was thinking about the same thing.

Natsu charged once again, but this time, Gray maneuvered differently. Before Natsu could even close the gap between them, Gray had already frozen the ground with ice once again. Natsu took the initiative and jumped, avoiding the slippery hazard before him. Gray chuckled; it seems that his plan had worked.

"**Ice-Make: Geyser!"** Gray called. A large pillar of ice shot up from below Natsu, who didn't have time to dodge in the air. However, before Natsu was encased by the frost, he had already thought out a plan to escape.

"**Fire Dragon's Claw!" **He delivered a flame powered kick towards the forming pillar, shattering the topmost part, but it still wasn't enough to completely repel the rushing ice.

"**Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!"** This time, flames covered both of his arms, and he spun around, creating a mini fire tornado. At first, the ice pillar wasn't affected, and continued to reach towards him, but then, the pillar started to weaken and melt due to the heat, eventually shattering all of it. By the time Natsu had stopped spinning, he had already reached the ground. But then…

"Got you now!" Gray snickered. The pillar had been a distraction all along.

"**Ice-Make: Prison!"** and just like that, the fire dragonslayer had been imprisoned by bars made of ice. Natsu struggled to free himself, but Gray had already prepared for the next step.

"Time to end this Natsu!" Gray placed his hands together, his right fist connected to an open left palm.

"**Ice-Make: Hammer!" **A gigantic hammer appeared, floating on top of the frozen cage. Natsu stared at it. Was it the end of the line for the Dragonslayer?

And with a mighty bang, the hammer crashed against the cage, its force completely breaking the cage, and whoever was in it.

* * *

Gray was panting heavily. A bead of sweat trickled from his forehead to his right cheek, and he hastily wiped it off him.

"Looks like it's your loss today, Natsu." Gray muttered. He turned around, and started walking away. He got a good twenty meters away, a small smile gracing his lips. However…

"Why are you turning your back on your opponent, Gray?" Gray stopped dead in his tracks. He glimpsed back to the ruins of his two spells, expecting to find shattered ice everywhere, only to see that the ice had completely melted. Amidst the melted frost, stood Natsu Dragneel, his body bruised all over, his clothes torn apart, and his face an expressionless mask.

"**Ice-Make: Lance!"** Gray acted quickly. He was thinking that the fire mage was still disoriented from his last attack. Long- spear like objects erupted towards Natsu, who was not moving, not even blinking a single eye.

All of a sudden, the temperature went crazy hot. Before the frozen spears could graze Natsu, they disappeared, traces of evaporating gas visible after. It was as if they hit a solid barrier, which vaporized all of the rushing ice; a barrier made of intense heat.

Gray looked closer. He could make out a thin layer of flames covering Natsu, who began to walk towards him. Gray noticed that the ground was free from the liquidized ice, and the earth was starting to crack from the intense heat the fire mage was generating.

"_What the hell is happening?!"_ Gray yelled mentally.

"**Ice-Make: Cannon!"** Gray cried. The ice cannon reappeared in Gray's arms. He locked on his target, and fired, but it was in vain. The incoming projectile melted as fast as butter as soon as it came near Natsu.

"**Ice-Make : Floor!"** Gray tried yet again, but this time, the ground which should've been frozen solid remained ice-free. Gray was sweating a lot, not from exhaustion, but from the extreme heat he felt. It was a good thing the unconscious members were far from the duo, or Gray could've sworn that they'd be burnt.

Then, at that moment, Gray started to grow dizzy. His knees trembled, unable to support his upper body. He fell on one knee, with both his arms pushing the ground, which was starting to grow warmer by the second. Natsu leisurely took his time closing the gap between them.

"_Shit, not now!"_ Gray thought. It seems that he was at the end of the line. He was out of strength and magic power, so he would have to use **THAT**. He was planning to use it to for the next fight, but he had no other choice.

"Fuck this!" He cursed. Below him, a two seals appeared, one on top of the other: the top one was blue in color; his standard ice-make seal, and under it was yellowish- white seal, an unknown sigil to many.

"**Second Origin: Release!"** He shouted. Gray was enveloped in bright light; Natsu had to cover his eyes, losing his concentration for a second. The flame barrier died instantly.

And at that split second, Gray chose to strike. When the light died down, a punch to the gut was the only thing that registered in Natsu's eyes, before he was sent flying by the force behind it.

"**Ice-Make: Grappling hook!"** He uttered the spell, surprisingly without putting both his hands together. A gigantic hook, large enough to grab an adult, latched itself onto Natsu. It seems he didn't want the fire mage to get away. Chains materialized in the air, one end connected to the grappling hook. He pulled the frozen chains, and Natsu's body was pulled towards Gray. Gray let go of the chains, and put both hands on the ground before him. Natsu's body was still coming towards him at a fast rate.

"**Ice-Make: Knuckle!"** Out came a large frozen fist, which met the poor Dragonslayer. Natsu was once again sent flying, but Gray wasn't done messing up the Dragonslayer's body.

"**Ice-Make: Cannon!"** Gray commanded. The giant fist rematerialized into a giant medieval cannon, which was aimed at Natsu.

"**Fire!"** Gray shouted. A large frozen cannonball flew towards the airborne mage. Natsu couldn't dodge, so he focused once again.

The cannonball exploded, and the force shook the ground. Surely even Natsu would go down after that hit.

But after a second look, the frost that lingered melted into vapor, and a speeding Natsu rushed liked a comet headfirst towards Gray, how he had managed to do so a mystery to the ice mage. Before he could hit the ground, he flipped so that his feet would meet the dirt, and the impact which he created forced Gray to dash back a few meters. After the smoke cleared, a mini crater could be seen, with Natsu at its center.

"**Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer!"** The lances which came this time were larger, faster and deadlier. They flew towards Natsu, their sharp edges glinting in the light. They closed in, passed the barrier, but the only thing which hit Natsu was melted ice, which evaporated as soon as it met his flesh.

"_The barrier must be hotter inside."_ Gray thought.

"Second Origin, huh?" Natsu said smirking.

"So what'd it do to you, aside from making you stronger and faster?" Natsu asked. He was genuinely curious.

"Heh. Well, aside from replenishing my magic power, I discovered that I don't need to use my hands to mold my sculptures. I could just lower the temperature, create frost, and use it against you, flame brain." Gray said with a grin. He could feel his veins pulsating, apparently from the power which flowed in it.

"And what's up with that flame barrier you put up a moment ago? I've never seen you do that before." Gray countered.

"Oh, that? I saw it in my dreams a few days ago, and I just remembered it after you smacked me with that hammer." Natsu answered. Gray's face dropped after hearing that.

"Hey, what's with the look? I'm pretty serious here." Natsu said. He was glaring at Gray for his reaction.

"_This guy just performed a spell from his dreams. Is he really an idiot, or a genius?"_ Gray thought with interest.

"So, are we fighting, or not?" Natsu asked impatiently.

"You're gonna need more than that stupid barrier to beat me now fire breath." Gray said with confidence.

Natsu pondered for a while. Gray had enough of that unresponsive state of his, and was planning on yelling to get the idiot's attention, when Natsu spoke suddenly.

"Hmm, you know, you might be right, perv." Natsu said, a finger under his chin.

"Wait a min-, w-What?" Gray was astonished to hear the dragonslayer agreeing.

"I said, I think you might be right! Clean your ears or something, you two-bit, child-molesting, public-stripping pervert." Natsu declared. Gray was pissed.

"But then again, I might be wrong. Well, it won't hurt to go over the top for once." Natsu finished. A spark came from his hands, but it instantly vanished.

Gray blinked. He must have been seeing things. Then, the spark was seen once again, this time traveling from Natsu's left arm to his right hand.

"That's why I'm going to let you taste this as payback!" Natsu smirked, before giving a serious look.

"**Mode: Lightning Dragon Slayer!"** Natsu cried. The rumble of thunder could be heard from afar. Lightning came from above, striking Natsu.

Gray immediately took a step back as the pink haired boy was struck. The ground shook with such force that the unconscious bodies of their teammates rolled away from their original positions.

This time, it was Natsu's turn to be engulfed in light.

And it was Gray's turn to be blown away.

* * *

Natsu disappeared in a flash, a flaming spark left in his wake.

"_What the hell?! That's Laxus' technique!" _Gray panicked mentally. He breathed in and relaxed, trying to regain his composure. Once he did, he tried to predict what would happen next.

A fist covered in flames and sparks came from his left. Gray blocked it by instinct, covering his arms with lots of ice, formed like spikes to lessen the damage, and hurt the attacker. The quick movement was akin to Laxus' speedy technique, but it wasn't as fast. Natsu's fist collided with the ice, shattering it halfway, but his arm was pierced by the spikes which his flames failed to melt. Blood trickled from his knuckles, but Natsu didn't stop his assault, and threw his other fist towards Gray's face. Gray cocked his head to other side, successfully evading the attack. He countered by summoning ice to freeze both of the Dragonslayer's feet on the ground. Natsu felt the chill creeping from below, and looked down. Gray took this as an opening, using his other arm to perform an uppercut, which hit Natsu squarely below the jaw. Natsu was sent tumbling backwards.

But then, he regained his balance, and ended up in a crouching position.

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Sword Horn!" **Natsu was shrouded in lightning and flames, and charged towards Gray head first, who couldn't dodge in time. The attack hit Gray's stomach, and sent him flying. Natsu ran to catch up, his image flickered, and a flash was the only thing that was seen before he disappeared again. He reappeared a few meters to where Gray was sent flying.

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Claw!" **He kicked Gray high up to the sky as soon as he could, the timed precision damaging Gray even further as he was sent upwards. Gray chose to retaliate.

"**Ice-Make: Geyser!" **Natsu wasn't expecting the ice-mage to pull a fast one in midair, and the ice which burst from the ground momentarily froze him completely, his body encased with ice.

Gray crafted a bow from thin air, took aim and…

"**Ice-Make: Super Freeze Arrow!" **Gray released the string, a frozen step enabling him to stand in the air and fire properly. The projectile accelerated towards the large tower of ice. But before it could reach, the tower burst, sending ice everywhere. Soon after, the ice melted, revealing a drenched Natsu. The flame barrier weakened the foundation of the structure he was in, enabling him to break the pillar. The arrow bypassed his barrier, but he caught it with his hand, and crushed it.

"Tsk. Looks like we're getting nowhere with this." Gray thought, still standing on the frozen step he had made. His legs wobbled for a moment, and the beads of sweat his body excreted grew larger. He was tired, very tired.

"Fuck. Second Origin is really putting a heavy strain on my body." While it looked like he could still cast a number of powerful spells at his disposal, his body was reaching its limit. The burden of releasing his second container was too much, and it looked as if he would have only be able to launch a final attack before his body gave away due to exhaustion.

"What's wrong droopy, you had enough? If you want, we could finish this with a final exchange!" Natsu called from below. Lightning crackled, fire hissed, but the look on the rose haired boy's face, in which a huge smirk was plastered, betrayed the seriousness of the situation.

"Fine with me. Don't blame me if you lose because of your impatience." Despite saying this, Gray was actually grateful. This meant that he would have to unleash the rest of his magic power without holding back.

Gray focused.

"Ready? Go!" As soon as Natsu gave the signal, Gray moved quickly to deliver his final assault.

"**Ice-Make: Fishnet!"** a net threw itself towards Natsu, but his barrier melted it with ease. Gray was only starting though. He cast a large number of nets from different directions, which served to distract the Dragonslayer and give time for his plan.

"**Ice-Make: Cannon!"** Four cannons appeared, simultaneously firing cannonballs towards the pinkette. The cannonballs themselves didn't reach Natsu, but the vapor it crated as it melted was blurring his sight.

"**Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer!"** Gray was relentless. A barrage of curved projectiles came from all directions. Natsu wasn't able to see very well due to the sheer number of projectiles which were coming towards him, plus the nets which were showered from everywhere. True, they couldn't touch him because of the heat of his guard, but the point was, his line of sight didn't look clear at the moment.

"**Ice-Make: Gungnir!"** The ground below Natsu shook, and a large spear like object formed from the ground. Natsu's instincts kicked in, enabling him to roll to one side to avoid the spike, which looked quite difficult to melt.

Natsu looked at the transparent towering object, and saw a shadow closing in from behind. Gray came rushing in, slicing the tower in an X fashion, two large blades in each hand.

"**Ice-Make: Ice Bringer**!" He yelled, and dashed past Natsu. Upon reaching a few meters behind the adversaries back, his blades shattered, and he heard both Natsu's knees dropping to the ground. It seemed that the barrier merely dulled the blades, but the impact of the attack still brought a lot of pain. The Dragonslayer, however, still had the strength to stand up.

"Time to end this Natsu! Let's see you melt this!" Gray's goal had been to get as close to Natsu in the first place. He planned to use the same tactic he had done to beat Rufus Lore, the Memory make mage.

"**Ice–Make Unlimited: One Sided Chaotic Dance!"** Natsu was hit by countless ice blades. Even thought he received only blunt edges, the impact of the swords were still strong, that and Gray didn't seem to run out of swords. Natsu was nearing the limit of his body's endurance. If he didn't act soon, he was really going down.

At that moment, a blue object flew towards Gray, its image blurred due to the speed it was using. Gray managed to summon a shield before it hit him, but the force of the object managed to bring him a few meters back.

The object was revealed to be a blue cat. Happy managed to crack the shield's surface, but he was stuck as a result.

"Nice one, Happy!" Natsu shouted.

And once again, the feline slipped from consciousness; however, his attack enabled Natsu to finally regain his momentum. Gray was occupied by the thought of Happy's head lodged between ice, and he would've laughed, if it weren't for his current situation. He glanced towards his opponent, but he was gone in a flash.

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"** Gray moved by instinct, still holding onto the unconscious cat. He dodged the ball of energy, but the shockwave blew him away. Gray dropped Happy because of the force that met him.

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Fist!"** Natsu appeared behind Gray, and delivered a powerful jab, which would've broken his spine if he hadn't turned to face him, and let his ribs take the damage. Blood came out from his mouth. The heat which Natsu generated burned his skin; it was unlike his usual fiery temperature, because this one burned him immediately after he was subjected to it.

"**Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur!"** Gray tried to form a sword, but it broke of as soon as it was completed.

Natsu cocked his fist, and covered his entire arm with lightning and flames. Gray widened his eyes, and immediately worked on a defense strategy, because the next attack would definitely hit him, and it would definitely hurt, a lot.

"**Ice-make: Cocoon!"** Gray completely covered himself with a thick layer of ice, with jagged spikes protruding everywhere, just as Natsu finished preparing his next move.

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!"** He struck the frozen cocoon.

"**BOOM!"**

* * *

The explosion which erupted could be heard from miles. The lacrimas which covered the match shook, and the viewers who watched them jumped from the shock. Large pieces of ice and debris flew off to everywhere.

After the explosion died down, three things could be observed.

First, each of the unconscious bodies of the other participants and their partners were covered in floating purple bubbles, which must've shielded them from the shockwave. The caster of the spell was not seen. After a few moments, the bubbles burst, dropping their passengers back onto the hard ground.

Second, the area, which was already in a wrecked a state, became even more devastated from the attack. The broken trees nearby were completely uprooted by the explosion, and the lacrima viewers could've sworn that even the clouds were blown away by the spell.

And third, in the epicenter of the destruction, were two men. The first, a rosy haired boy, had an exhausted look. His right arm was outstretched, his clothes had been completely ripped, and his usually spiky hair was blown back, probably due to the explosion. The scarf he wore on his neck was flying away after it was dislodged by the explosion.

Kneeling a few meters from him was a black haired teen, large pieces of ice littered everywhere around him. If the pinkette looked worse for wear, this guy looked even worst, ignoring the fact that he was completely naked. The guy looked as if he was half-burnt; smoke could be seen rising from his bruised body.

"Give up, Gray. I still have plenty more where that came from." The pinkette regarded the kneeling man.

Truthfully, Natsu didn't expect that kind of destruction to occur. He only used his Firing Hammer a few times, but it was never that devastating. His attack completely destroyed the shell which protected his rival, and wrecked the surrounding area. On top of that, the guy who was on receiving end, was severely damaged, burnt, and probably electrocuted too.

"No, I can still stand." Gray brought his left foot to the ground and tried to stand.

The Fire Dragonslayer's patience ran out. He opened his mouth, and a swirl of sparks and flames gathered. He threatened the brunette, but it looked as if he really wasn't giving up.

"You leave me no choice." Was it just Gray, or did his voice have a melancholic tone to it?

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!"** Gray couldn't move. He froze from the terror he felt.

"_Is he serious?! I could die from that!"_ The fact that Natsu was firing one of his most potent spells at point blank range scared Gray.

He closed his eyes, and waited for the blast to hit him.

But it never came, at least, not directly. The ground behind him shook, rumbled, and finally exploded. He heard a buzzing sound in his left ear, and his black hair was blown sideways. After the blast had faded he opened his eyes and looked behind him, his ears still ringing from the impact of the roar. His eyes grew large; behind him, what should've been the surface to layers and layers of rock and dirt was completely replaced by a gigantic hole, which was inclined towards him. The end of the hole could not be seen, and a few moments later, the hole completely caved in, the base of the ground weakened, and was replaced with a new foundation of earth.

Gray looked back towards his opponent, who gave off a menacing glare and aura. He shuddered.

And at that moment, Gray decided to finally faint.

* * *

And that was the gist of happened prior. After the battle with Gray, Natsu went over to happy, shaking him awake in order to have him prepared for the next event.

Four figures walked towards the kneeling boy, observing the area after the aftermath of the fight.

"Geez Natsu, it looks like you overdid it as usual." A silver haired beauty regarded. Mirajane was walking over to the frowning boy, who was still shaking the blue cat. She was surveying the area where the battle was held, or what used to be the battlefield. The once lush field surrounded by greenery became a huge, smoldering crater after the battle royale which had occurred.

"I didn't overdo anything Mira, besides I only beat up Gray, Gajeel, Freed, Bixslow, Elfman and Loki. The girls fought amongst themselves, and Juvia collapsed as soon as I burned up the pervert's underwear." Natsu replied, counting his victims with his fingers, completely unaware of a sword being pointed at his throat.

"Natsu, why on earth did you burn Gray's clothes?! You know how he has managed to keep them for so long, and by putting them in flames, you have jeopardized the innocence of the female population who have been watching via lacrima" a female redhead inched her blade slowly towards Natsu's neck. Erza was blushing lightly; she had spent the last few minutes trying to forget the horror which she saw after the ice mage's boxers were reduced to ashes. In her arms was Natsu's missing scarf, dirty, but folded neatly.

"R-re-relax Erza, be-besides, he was going to lose his clothes sooner or later." a stuttering Natsu answered. Yes, he was very scared, not of the sword which threatened to behead him, but of the mage which was wielding it. Well, maybe from both the sword and the redhead who held it.

Yes, he had fought for the last few hours, and the only thing which really scared him came just now.

"Now, now put the sword down Erza. The exams aren't finished yet. Let's try not to cut off the head of a future S-class mage." An old man stated. Makarov Dreyar strolled towards the group with an amused look. Behind him was his grandson, Laxus.

"At least spare his head until he either passes or fails the trials, Erza. After that, you can cut it off together with that small, annoying brain of his, everyone has been begging for someone to put a stop to that dumbass' idiocy." Laxus commented half jokingly.

Natsu took the comment seriously. A tick mark appeared on his forehead, but before he could lash out, the master spoke once again.

"How are you feeling boy?" The master asked.

"I'd feel better if Erza stops pointing that thing at me." Natsu replied, wary of the sword. Erza glared at him for a moment, and soon after, decided to get rid of it. A bright light emanated from the weapon, and when the light died, the sword disappeared with it. Erza had stashed her sword inside one of her pocket dimensions.

"You should rest for a bit. The next fight won't start until afternoon." Erza proclaimed, holding out her hand for the pinkette to take. He eyed the outstretched hand with caution, but decided to take it nonetheless. Natsu stood up, and dusted himself with his free hand. Erza handed him his scarf, and he grunted a small thanks which didn't go unheard. Mira held out both arms to take the unconscious Happy, and Natsu was glad to oblige.

"I'll see what I can do." Mira said with a wink, and began walking away from the group.

"Thanks, Mira." Natsu replied with a small smile.

"You liiiiiiiiiiike her.." Happy mumbled. Natsu slapped his partner's head, and the semi-conscious Happy was once again, unconscious.

"Oops. Sorry." Natsu winced due to the glare both females were giving him.

"Something is seriously wrong with that cat." Laxus declared, shaking his head.

"We should carry the unconscious and go to the camp. We'll talk about the details of your match at lunch." Makarov put his palms together, and the same purple bubbles appeared to take in his guildmates. Natsu opened his mouth to speak, but decided to do so another time.

"That was a really interesting move you came up with Natsu. Too bad it won't work in our fight." Laxus proclaimed smugly, referring to the fire barrier he had used earlier.

"We'll see about that." Natsu slammed his fists together, and at the same time, his stomach rumbled.

* * *

Lunch was great. At least, that's what Natsu thought as he gobbled up the different dishes which were served. 12 empty plates were piled up beside him, and he currently worked on devouring a large flaming turkey.

"You should definitely eat slowly, or else that bloated stomach of yours is going to get in the way of our fight." Laxus declared, eating his fourth helping of lunch.

"Shaff- uff- Laxush. Ahwm hung-" Natsu replied between bites of turkey, but before he could finish, Erza slapped him on the back of his head with her gauntlet clad hand.

Natsu nearly choked on a turkey bone.

"Mind your manners. And Laxus is right, your belly is definitely gonna get in the way." Erza said casually, taking a sip from her tea. She looked towards Natsu, who now sported a bump on his head, and a comically bloated stomach. Bandages were wrapped across different parts of his body, and the only piece of clothing he had on were his trousers and his scaled scarf.

"Let him eat, he must be pretty famished from the battle. Want another serving Natsu?" Mira came over, carrying another plate, this time with roasted fish.

"Awesome! You're the best, Mira!" Natsu devoured up the last bit of turkey, threw the bones away, and gladly received the plate.

"You should stop spoiling him Mira." Erza proclaimed.

"Tell that to me when you stop spoiling yourself with my delicious strawberry cake." With this being said, Mira pulled up a platter from God knows where, a slice of strawberry cheesecake sitting on top. Erza drooled for a while, coughed on one hand to compose herself, and held out her hand. She gently put down her tea.

"Give it to me. Now." Erza ordered with a menacing stare.

"What if I don't want to? Since I made it and all." Mira grazed the icing with a finger, and licked it, showing a bitter smile. Natsu looked at both women, and continued eating.

"Wow. Lunch and a show." He declared excitedly, the two females now engaged in a glaring match.

"I miss the old days." Laxus sighed.

"Hold your horses, both of you! It's time prepare for the match." Makarov declared.

He walked over and examined the beds around him. It seems that the other participants were still dozing off, probably from the sleeping spell he had conjured to lessen the strain on their bodies.

"Mirajane, is Happy awake? Natsu needs a partner in order to participate." The Master said.

Mira looked worried for a second, and replied, looking at Natsu, who was still gobbling plates and plates of food.

Erza managed to swipe the cake in the process.

"I'm sorry, Happy's still unconscious."

"Whaff- shoo-wheeff-dough?" Natsu asked. He received another slap from Erza.

"Manners." She declared menacingly, a platter of cake in one hand, and a fist in the other, and a demonic aura around her. Natsu gulped.

"Sorry." He replied, scratching his head. _"Geez, what's wrong with her?"_

"Happy won't be able to participate in your fight. Do you wish to continue with the exams?" Makarov inquired seriously.

Tension filled the atmosphere. Natsu put down his plate, gave his belly a pat and stood up. His wounds no longer hurt; the healing magic Mira performed probably worked, but he was still tired. Makarov looked expectantly towards the pink haired boy. Natsu's bangs covered his eyes.

"Will you let me fight Laxus alone, without a partner?" Natsu asked in a serious tone.

"No, but-" Makarov was cut off by Erza.

"Natsu, you might think that you can take him on by yourself, but with your current condition, it'd be extremely difficult. I'm not doubting you or anything, but you've already fought for five straight hours, so-" Makarov shook his head, and Erza shut her mouth up instantly. The S-class mages waited for an answer.

Natsu sighed. He took a deep breath, and spoke.

"So, it's a no then. If you won't let me fight without a partner, then what's the point in arguing? You should've just told me from the start. Well, at least Happy won't miss anything." He looked up. The sky was pretty clear, and the sun hovered above them, its heat failing to burn the Dragonslayer's skin.

"So, you're just gonna give up?" Mira asked gently.

"Its fine, isn't it? I'm not really giving up my goal to become S-class, but I'm never leaving a partner behind, just so I could reach my dreams." Natsu covered his eyes, shielding them from the sunlight. He smiled, and looked towards the four, who were smiling back. Well, the master and both females were genuinely smiling, but the blonde was giving off a rather smug grin. Still, it was a smile nonetheless.

They were surprised. The four half-expected Natsu to put up a fight and say he'd face Laxus alone. Who would've thought that Dragonslayer would act maturely now of all times?

"I'm not finished talking, Natsu. I said I won't let you fight without a partner-"Makarov said chuckling, but the pinkette cut him off. A tick mark appeared on the elder's forehead; he was starting to get annoyed.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time, Gramps, so what-" Suddenly, Natsu was smacked flat by a gigantic fist. The master had had enough.

"Let me finish dammit! Put this inside that thick skull of yours you idiot! I was going to give you a new partner, but oh, you had to cut in when I was talking. I'm going to pound you to pieces-" Makarov was going to slam another one on the fire mage, but luckily, Laxus stopped him.

"Geez, how is he supposed to fight if you already beat him up before we even start? You're just as impatient as him gramps." The blonde declared.

"Let me at him! Let go, Laxus, I'm gonna teach that brat a lesson! Let me at him-"He suddenly stopped struggling and coughed. Laxus set him down.

"You should watch your blood pressure, Master. Remember, Porlyusca-san told you to mind your temper. Mira said gently, while Erza helped Natsu up.

"Ouch." Was the only thing Natsu could say. Makarov regained his composure.

"Hmph. Don't cut me off next time, you idiot. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, I said I'm giving you a new partner, so you can continue your battle. It'd be pretty boring anyway if we just stop halfway.

"Wait, what? I can continue the fight? And I can choose anyone I like, right?" Natsu said excitedly.

"Well, not anyone, but I'll let you choose between Erza and Mira." He looked at both females; Erza smiled slightly, and Mira waved.

"However, the fight will become a two-on-two event. The S-class mage that won't get picked will be Laxus' partner. So, will you still continue, or will you give up now? " Makarov explained.

"So basically, if I pick Erza, Mira wil be an opponent, and if I pick Mira, Erza will be Laxus' ally. Hmm." Natsu pondered for a while.

"What about this then? If I choose to fight alone, will all three of them be my enemies? Cause that would be awesome!" Natsu proclaimed, unable to grasp the fact that he would instantly lose against all three mages. Another sharp slap to the back of his head brought him out of his musings.

Erze grabbed both of his shoulders and shook him to death. Her glare froze Natsu in place.

"What do you hope to achieve by fighting all three of us, huh?! Do you want to be beaten up that badly?!" Erza continued to shake the poor Dragonslayer. She stopped after seing spirals in Natsu's eyes.

"Geez, I was only asking Erza. Why'd you have to try and kill me again?" Natsu asked, his head spinning. He moved away from the armor mage, wobbling with each step. After a few seconds, he regained his sense of balance.

"So, what is your answer, Natsu?" All four looked at the rose haired boy.

"I'm definitely continuing; it's a rare chance to fight even a single S-class mage, and I'm going to fight two at that!" Natsu declared.

"And obviously, I'm choosing Erza. Sorry Mira." Natsu rubbed his cheek when he saw Mira pouting. He gave a thumbs up to Erza, instantly forgetting about what the redhead had done to him a couple of seconds ago. Erza smiled, and walked towards his side.

"Did you choose me because I'd be tough to take down?" Erza asked.

"No, I chose you cause I've been with you for such a long time. I'd fought my hardest battles with you and we've been together in life and death situations. I'd trust my back to you, so will you trust me with yours?" Natsu declared, showing her his trademark grin.

"Of course, Natsu." Erza replied.

"Let the Final battle for the S-class Exams start!" Makarov shouted, nearly waking up the unconscious members.

"Yeeaahh!" Natsu pumped his fist in the air.

"We're doing the battle here? You must be crazy gramps." Laxus asked incredulously. The two female mages sweatdropped at the comment.

"Haha. Sorry. Let's go to the battlefield then." Makarov said sheepishly.

* * *

"Did you get the plan?" Erza asked.

"Um. Question!" Natsu raised his hand like a kid.

"Yes, Natsu?" Erza played along.

"I don't want to go with that emergency plan of yours. It sounds pretty weak!" Natsu declared. Erza hit him for the fourth time today.

"First of all, that's not a question, isn't it?! And you don't have a say in this, so just stick to the plan, got it? Besides, the emergency plan won't be used unless there's an emergency, so you don't have to worry about doing **THAT** immediately." Erza said while adjusting her gauntlet.

"Geez, fine." Natsu gave in. The Master called them over.

"You guys ready?" He looked towards each pair. Erza nodded her head, Natsu showed a confident grin, Laxus smirked cockily and Mirajane was giving an unusually serious look.

"Then… Go!" The Master vanished in a cloud of smoke, and Natsu decided to go all out from the start.

"**Mode: Lightning Flame Dragon Slayer!" **The surrounding mages were momentarily blown back by the shockwave which came. Before the enemies could make a move, Natsu was already gone. Both S-class mages were sent flying, but eventually managed to land on the ground with both feet. Natsu however, continued pelting them with magic.

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" **A giant ball made up of both flames and lightning rushed towards both mages. Laxus jumped up, while Mira jumped sideways. The ball of energy met the ground, and as soon as it did, a large explosion came. Both mages jumped farther in order to avoid the blast radius, but Natsu was relentless. Erza disappeared in the middle of the confusion.

Laxus was still in midair when his instincts told him that a punch was aimed at his gut. He turned to look at the assailant, but he vanished like lightning. Natsu reappeared on top of Laxus, put both of his hands together, and smashed the blonde downward. Laxus was hit, and crashed on the now cratered ground.

Mira appeared in the air behind Natsu, but he was quicker. Mira's kick sailed towards Natsu, but the only thing she managed to hit was the empty space. The two exchanged hits, dodging while at the same time, trying to hit the other party. Laxus rose from the ground and jumped towards the two, who were still duking it out in midair. Mira saw her partner in the corner of her eyes, and immediately came up with a plan. She punched with her left, but Natsu merely cocked his head in the opposite direction. She lifted her left thigh, Natsu jumped to the right, predicting the course of the next kick. But, the movement was a feint, and Mira somehow managed to spin her upper body and deliver a roundhouse kick towards Natsu with her right foot.

The kick connected with Natsu's stomach, and he was pushed back a few feet, where Laxus awaited him. Laxus grabbed hold of both the fire mage's arms, trying to force him into submission. Natsu struggled, but Laxus was too big for him.

"Now Mira!" Laxus shouted.

"**Evil Explosion!" **Mira called.

Mira formed a purple ball and launched it towards the two men. Laxus waited for the ball to get close, and purposely let go of his captive. He dashed a few meters back, covering his eyes as soon as the ball expanded, emitting bright light.

When the explosion disappeared, they expected to see a hurt Natsu, but he was not in sight.

"Bastard must've escaped."Laxus murmured. He looked at Mira's direction, and his eyes widened.

"Mira! Behind you!" Too late. Natsu appeared behind Mira, his fist ready.

"This is gonna hurt." Natsu whispered. Mira's eyes widened in shock.

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Fist!" **Mira managed to turn around and cross her arms in front of her, but the guard didn't stop her from being hurled towards the solid ground. Laxus dashed towards Natsu, who once again vanished, using his own technique against him.

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Claw!" **The kick came from above, and Laxus, just like his partner, met the solid ground after the attack connected. Natsu gathered energy in his mouth. He aimed towards his fallen opponents, and fired.

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!"** A large beam came, accelerating towards the two mages. The beam met both, and another explosion resulted. Natsu's scarf thrashed wildly due to the shockwave. After the explosion, a cloud of dust hid his two adversaries. A closer look revealed to shadowy figures, who were apparently standing. The dust was blown away by extreme pressure, and Natsu saw both his opponents finally getting serious.

"**Take Over: Satan Soul!" **Light erupted from the female mage. When it soon died out, Mira looked like a demon, literally. Her purple dress was replaced by dark, skimpy one-piece suit revealing her arms and legs, open on the front and the back, and exposing most of her belly, cleavage and upper back. Her arms were covered by scales, her hair became wilder, and a scaly tail protruded from her lower back. Her face received changes; her blue eyes became darker, her lips were covered by a dark lipstick, her canines grew sharper and a thin zigzag line of scars ran across her right eye. Her hands were clad in gauntlets, and she wore high heeled, thigh-high boots on her feet. Black, leathery wings erupted from her back, and she looked towards the fire mage, her eyes reflecting her seriousness. Natsu stared, though the girl looked way sexy due to the transformation, he could only think of a single word to describe her.

"_Demon." _He muttered.

He looked over to Laxus, who was covered by sparks and lightning. The guy showed a twisted grin from ear to ear, probably thinking that it was time for payback. That or the guy had serious smiling issues. He tossed his purple shirt away, akin to Gray's stripping habit, revealing his abs and pectorals. Both mages charged towards Natsu, and in a flash, they were gone. A lightning clad fist hit his left side, and a downward kick knocked him down, face first. The two were finally catching up in terms of speed, and it looked like Natsu was in trouble.

Where was Erza by the way?

"Hold on, Natsu. " Erza muttered elsewhere after hearing explosions. She was sitting, cross-legged, a large red seal below her. Swords started appearing everywhere, but she needed more time.

Natsu dashed, trying to get away from his two pursuers. Mira and Laxus took turns in beating up the Dragonslayer. Laxus closed the distance between him and his prey using his lightning steps. Soon after, Natsu was once again within the clutches of the lightning mage. The two S-class mages showed little mercy, and Natsu thrashed against his capturer. Laxus held back both of the pinkette's arms, trying to employ the same tactic earlier, but this time, not giving a chance for the mage to escape.

The demon Mirajane conjured another spell; a slightly bigger ball of energy appeared above her. She directed the ball's course with a command from her hand.

"Let go!" Natsu shouted, struggling against Laxus.

"You're not getting away this time punk!" Laxus replied. Trying to hold back a struggling Dragonslayer was like trying to catch a slippery eel; it was a very hard task.

"**Evil Explosion!" **Mira tossed the energy ball towards the two Dragonslayers. The purple energy sped up, gaining momentum with each passing second.

"I said, LET GO!" Laxus felt the air around him grow hot. He didn't know what made him do it, but at the next second, he completely let go of the fire Dragonslayer, his mind screaming for him to get away. His body suffered small burns; it seemed that the pinkette had summoned his fire barrier once again. Mira's spell was still coming towards them.

Natsu vanished in a flash as soon as he was freed. Laxus was frozen for a second, before he realized that the spell was aimed right at him. He tried to avoid it, but his arms were bound by the very person he had captured earlier. As soon as Natsu took up a space near him, Laxus' body underwent extreme burns with each second he spent near the Dragonslayer.

"_Two can play at that game."_ He thought.

He forced his capturer to let go by releasing a surge of electricity from his body. It worked; Natsu let go, but as soon as he did, Laxus was hit by the speeding energy ball. He was blown back, his body now covered with burns.

"Watch where you fire that thing, Mira!" Laxus shouted at his partner. Smoke was coming from his body.

"It's your fault for not getting away!" Mira retorted. She blew a raspberry at his direction.

"Are you picking a fight with me brat?!" Laxus scowled at her.

"Shut it, old man!" Mira bit back.

"Who're you calling old?! I'm still in my twenties, you idiot!" Laxus called, a tick mark visible in his face.

"Are you sure you guys should be fighting right now?" A voice asked aloud. Both mages looked towards the source of the voice.

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!" **A wide beam made of fire and lightning was speeding towards their direction. Both managed to avoid it a split second later, but the duo was grazed by the attack. They both felt the intense heat of the flames. Mira was slightly electrocuted by the sparks, but Laxus was immune to the lightning.

"Shall we continue from where we were?" Natsu asked cheekily.

Laxus and Mira looked at each other and grinned.

"You're going down Natsu!" Mira shouted.

Laxus appeared in front of the pinkette and aimed a punch to his face. His fist felt the heat of the barrier Natsu still had on, but he ignored the pain it brought. Natsu ducked, pulled his right arm back and went for Laxus' side, but the blonde blocked it with his left hand. Natsu turned and performed a kick powered by his flames and lightning, but the lightning mage took a quick step back to avoid it. Laxus gathered a large amount of lightning in his right hand.

"**Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" **He extended the fist forward, and a yellowish magic seal appeared in front of Natsu. The next thing Natsu knew, he was flying in the opposite direction, an enlarged version of Laxus' lightning clad fist hitting him. His fire barrier completely faded when he lost his concentration.

He felt a pair of hands on his back, and he looked at its owner. Mira was showing a menacing grin worthy of her title as Demon.

"**Evil Spark!" **Natsu was electrocuted by the electricity which the Demon channeled through her hands. He swung his fist blindly, trying to get rid of his attacker, but the Demon merely evaded his attempt to hit her. He soon fell on his knees, his endurance at its last. His magic power should've been close to zero by now. Mirajane dashed back, muttering a quick "I'm sorry." Natsu didn't catch her apology, because he was preoccupied by the lightning spear Laxus was aiming at him.

"This ends now Natsu!" Laxus shouted from his position.

"**Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" **Natsu merely smiled as the projectile came towards him. He waited for it to hit his tired body.

"_Time for another meal."_ He thought.

Then, at the last second, the spear which was aimed at him swerved and flew upwards, as if spotting new target. The sounds of a thousand falling objects rained from the sky. Natsu expected raindrops to fall, but what came were a hundred times bigger, and sharper too.

Yes, it was raining swords. The steel managed to attract the attack of the Lightning Dragonslayer, and saved the pinkette, who was still kneeling on the ground. Laxus and Mira struggled to avoid the swords which rained from all directions. As expected, it was hard; as hard as avoiding raindrops from hitting oneself. The two managed to get away from the area, but with cuts and scratches here and there. Natsu, on the other hand, didn't need to move; not a single sword came his way. Soon after, the swords stopped falling, lodging themselves in different places within the battlefield. A figure emerged and made its way towards the kneeling Dragonslayer.

"You all right?" Erza held out her hand for the pinkette to take.

"What the hell took you so long?!" Natsu asked chuckling.

"So you finally decided to play, huh Erza." Laxus said. He had summoned another lightning spear, and once again, took aim at the two. Erza was unfazed; she merely helped her partner stand up.

"You can throw that, but it won't do you any good Laxus." Erza egged the blonde, who snapped, and really did throw the projectile. As soon as it left his hands, the spear dived straight into the nearest sword it could find.

Laxus chuckled.

"Did you plan this from the start? I have to say, you really are intelligent Erza, but I can't say the same for your partner." Mirajane walked over towards Laxus, her eyes wary of the swords which were littered everywhere.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted.

"Natsu, the real fight begins now. Do you remember the next phase of the plan?" Erza asked.

"Yup. Take them one-on-one right? Well, what are we waiting for?" Natsu replied excitedly.

"I'm waiting for you to recover your strength you idiot." Erza deadpanned. Natsu gulped.

Their two opponents started to move towards them at an amazing speed. Natsu looked Erza in the eye.

"Well, about that-" Natsu was cut off.

"Can you still fight or not?" Erza went straight to the point.

"Of course!" Natsu shouted.

"Then let's go. But be careful, alright?" And with that, Erza dashed towards the east. When she reached a certain distance, she pointed at Mirajane, and then to herself. Mirajane took the cue, nodded, and went towards her. This left Natsu with Laxus.

"Are you ready to surrender, brat?" Laxus asked smugly.

"You wish." Natsu replied, his fists covered in flames and lightning.

* * *

Natsu had a hard time moving, and so did Laxus. The swords limited his movement, and he didn't resort to using lightning steps, after witnessing Laxus use it and nearly slice himself when he was drawn to a steel blade. However, unlike him, Laxus still had lots of energy to burn; Natsu could tell that he was being overpowered. He couldn't avoid Laxus' strikes due to his exhausted state, and his movement was sealed by the swords which littered the area. Their plan to seal Laxus' lightning backfired on Natsu. Why the hell did he not think about it in the first place?

"_Because I'm an idiot, that's why." _ Natsu shook his head as he tried to dodge a sharp jab to the right. His vision was blurring, and each hit Laxus landed on him hurt more than the previous one did. He didn't have the strength or magic power to conjure his barrier, much less fight toe to toe with his opponent. Laxus, who resorted to melee combat, took delight with every blow he scored, deciding to finish the fight slowly.

"What happened to that confidence of yours brat?! That kind of stamina is not enough to make you into an S-class mage! Laxus declared seriously. Natsu just endured the blows, for it was the only thing he could do. He looked over towards his partner.

Unlike him, Erza was beating Mira into a corner. The Demon was the one getting overpowered by the Titania.

"_At least she's having an easier time." _Natsu thought as he continued to endure the pain and torment.

On the other side, Mira was struggling against Erza, who was currently donning her **Flight Armor. **She was breathing heavily by now, but her opponent still displayed the same calmness she showed since the beginning of their fight.

"You're losing your touch, Mira." Erza said. Mira charged, Erza did a quick sidestep, and Mira ran past her. Erza however, caught the Demon's tail, and slammed the hilt of her sword on the silver-haired beauty's exposed back.

"Tch." Mira charged a ball of energy and threw it towards the redhead, who utilized the speed of her armor to evade the attack, and get behind her adversary in one swift movement. She slashed, but the Demon parried her attack with her tail.

"**Demon Blast!"** A purple beam came from Mira, but Erza merely used her speed to completely avoid the attack.

"**Sonic Claw!" **Erza dashed past Mira at a high velocity. Mira received deep gashes on her arms and thighs due to the high speed attack.

"Why you?!" Mira shouted. She turned towards her opponent, but her stomach once again met the butt of Erza's sword. Blood came out of Mira's mouth.

"Surrender." Erza order.

"Never. Not to you." Mira replied, coughing blood. She took a quick step back, and began to think of a way to beat the Titania.

"_She really is stronger than me. That and my body's starting to take the toll from my battle with Natsu." _She thought as she dodged a sword which was thrown at her.

"_Well, I still have one plan in hand."_ She smiled darkly.

"Hey Erza!" She called, gaining the attention of the redhead. Erza stared at her, an inquisitive look on her face. Mira stopped moving, and so did Erza.

"What is it?" Erza asked warily.

"So, um, how are things with Jellal?" She asked. Erza dropped her sword, and her guard with it.

Mira charged and swept her tail under Erza's feet. Erza landed on her butt, but she managed to regain her hold on her sword.

"Wh-wha-what ki-kind of question is that?!" Erza asked, her cheeks tinged with pink. Mira laughed; the fight wasn't over yet.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Judging from your reaction, I'd say there's no progress then?" She dodged another sword which the Titania had thrown.

"H-Hah! A-as i-if I'm interested in those things! You're just trying to distract me, you Demon!" Erza regained her composure and stood up.

"**Requip!"** light flashed, and Mira momentarily covered her eyes. Erza came out, wearing her **Heaven's Wheel Armor**, and a sword in each hand.

"**Circle Sword!" **Erza cried. Some of the swords in the area were pulled up like a magnet, and surrounded Erza in a circle like fashion. Erza pointed one sword towards Mira, but before she could utter a command, Mira spoke once again.

"I heard he's getting married, but not to you." Mira whispered in a sad tone.

Erza's swords dropped one by one. She was shaking in fury.

"That's it. I've had enough of you, you Demon. You want to joke around, huh? Well, two can play at that game!" She shouted. The statement shocked Mira.

"Natsu!." She looked over to her partner, who was still struggling against Laxus. He looked at her.

"What?! I'm in the middle of winning my fight! What do you want?!" Natsu asked furiously.

"_Winning your fight my ass. You're getting clobbered you idiot!" _Erza noticed her partner's distress. It was time for plan B.

"SWITCH!" Erza shouted. Even Laxus froze.

Natsu blinked. Once. Twice. He shook his head furiously.

"No way! I'm not doing that!" Erza reached Natsu in a split second, and comically threw him in Mira's direction. Laxus eyed her curiously.

"I don't know what just happened, but I'm glad that I get to fight you instead. That idiot started to bore me. Hmm, you're awfully red, Erza." Laxus looked at Erza, who was blushing beet red.

"Sh-shut up and fight, dammit!" She slashed her sword. Laxus cracked his knuckles.

"Alrighty then."

* * *

Meanwhile, Natsu was rubbing his back. Mira readied herself in case of an attack. Natsu looked at Erza and Laxus' battle and cursed under his breath.

"Seriously, just what is she thinking, throwing her partner like that?" He shook his head and took notice of a cautious Mira. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"'Sup, Mira?" He called. Mira quirked an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull, but I'm warning you Natsu; it's not gonna work." She proclaimed, her stance ready for a fight.

"I'm not trying to pull anything!" He confessed, raising his arms. Mira dropped her guard for a while, and smiled.

"Are you surrendering then?" She asked kindly.

"I'm not doing that either." What he did next completely caught Mira by surprise; The Dragonslayer charged towards the Demon, and Mira wasn't ready for an attack.

Her eyes widened when the pinkette stopped abruptly in front of her, and encased her with an embrace. Mira was utterly confused.

"W-What's wrong Natsu?!" She asked. Blood rushed towards her cheeks.

"I'm sorry for earlier, and-"He stopped, and took a deep breath. Mira was piqued with curiosity.

"I-I like you, Mira." He confessed. His voice held no deception in them, and Mira was swayed by the declaration. Her mind went blank for a second; her body went limp under the tight hold of the fire mage. His warmth flowed through her, making her feel safe and secure.

Then, the gears in her mind started moving again. She tried pushing Natsu away, but he wouldn't budge. She released a surge of electricity from her open hands, and Dragonslayer let go of her.

"You almost had me fooled, you know. Was that part of Erza's plan?" She asked chuckling, the blush still intact on her face.

"What plan? I was dead serious Mirajane." Natsu declared. Mira stopped laughing.

"That's not funny, Natsu." Mira prepared her next spell; her knees wobbled slightly.

"**Soul Extinction!" **she gathered energy from the surrounding area, and formed it into a black globe. She was preparing to unleash the spell on the tired mage.

"Please, don't make me fight you. " Natsu whispered. He started taking slow steps towards her. Mira faltered for a second. Then, she gathered her wits and screamed.

"I'm really gonna throw this, you know!" Mira raised her right hand. Natsu was remained unfazed.

"Throw it then. If that's what it takes to get to you, then I'll receive it with arms wide open." He inched closer, and closer.

Mira's façade wore out. The black energy disappeared, and she fell on her knees; her magic power almost out.

She could summon another Take-Over spell, but her confidence broke the moment the pinkette confessed.

It seems that they were right. She had lost her touch. She couldn't fight for as long she did, she wasn't as good as she once was. Two hands appeared on both her shoulders. She looked up, and saw the smiling face of a pink haired boy.

"Why me?" She asked. T'was the only thing she could do, the only thing she could ask.

"Why not?" And with that, he tried closing the gap between their faces. Mira steeled herself; it was going to be her first kiss after all.

Then, Natsu stopped, an inch of dead air the only thing between their lips. He pulled back, and scratched his head.

"Hmm. What was I supposed to do next?" He pulled a notebook from nowhere, flipped a few pages, and shouted.

" Oh yeah!" He looked back towards Mira, tossing the notebook away. Mira was shocked even further.

"I'm sorry, Mira. Please forgive me." He used the same serene tone earlier, but this time, Mira knew. It was all going according to Erza's plan.

"_I'm getting you for this, Erza."_She muttered.

"**Lightning Flame Dragon's Fist!" **Natsu mustered what was left of his disappearing energy. Mira didn't even try to defend herself. She could have, but she didn't. Natsu's fist met her belly, and the moment the attack connected, she faded out of consciousness. Her form shimmered, and the Demonic look she had on completely vanished like smoke. Natsu caught her before she hit the solid ground.

He laid her gently, away from the swords and from the battle. He whispered in her ear.

"Please, don't kill me later, Mira. It's Erza's fault, all right?" He pleaded towards the unconscious Mirajane. He looked towards the other side, and gazed at the continuing battle from over there. He slowly made his way towards Laxus and Erza; the bandages around his body becoming undone with every step he took.

"Wait for me, Erza." He whispered.

* * *

Erza was panting heavily. She held the upper hand earlier, but in the middle of the fight, Laxus suddenly activated his dormant **Dragon Force**, and she was pushed back.

She thought she could take him on alone, but she was wrong. He was, after all, the second best in terms of strength in the whole guild. She wasn't even sure if Natsu had the capability to defeat a monster of his caliber.

"What's wrong, Erza, you had enough?" Laxus asked as he launched an uppercut, almost hitting the Titania's chin. Even the defense of her **Lightning Empress Armor **couldn't dampen the force of the blonde's attacks. Sure, the strength of Laxus' lightning was halved, but the force of his physical blows was still as painful as they were.

After all, she was fighting the man who defeated Jura, one of the Ten Wizards Saints.

She looked around her; some of the swords which were impaled on the ground were completely dislodged and sent far away due to their fight, nullifying her advantage towards Laxus. She smirked. She realized that she could now use her lightning attacks against the Dragonslayer, but the blonde was still oblivious to the fact that he could use his.

Erza aimed her spear at Laxus.

"**Lightning Beam!" **She shouted. A beam of lightning came from the spear tip, and launched itself towards Laxus.

Then, she remembered. She was fighting a Dragonslayer, and a lightning element user at that. She realized that it was too late.

Laxus' face contorted, showing an immense amount of glee. He swallowed all of the incoming lightning in one mouthful. Now, his magic was replenished. Lightning ran across different parts of his body.

"Thanks for the meal, Erza. Here's your compensation!" Lightning came from above, striking an unsuspecting Erza and stunning her. Laxus gathered energy in his mouth.

"**Lightning Dragon's Roar!" **Erza couldn't avoid the attack in time. But just before it reached her, a shadow appeared in front of her. She saw pink, and she smiled.

Natsu received the full force of the roar, but instead of hurting him, it was absorbed via his mouth. (Eew, he ate something from another man's mouth.)

Natsu burped and patted his belly. He felt energy flowing in his body once again. He smirked and looked at the sneering blonde.

"And thanks for the meal, Laxus." As soon as he said this, he felt a pang from his stomach, and his knees gave in to the pain. Erza rushed over towards him.

"What's wrong, Natsu?" She asked, her voice laced with concern towards his partner.

"Haha! You shouldn't eat something that's not part of your element, you idiot. You may have swallowed my lightning again, but this time, your body will have a hard time absorbing it." Laxus charged another lightning infused roar in his mouth. Natsu was still clutching his stomach, coughing out a yellowish liquid. Erza couldn't move the Dragonslayer in time.

"**Lightning Dragon's Roar!" **The attack was aimed at Natsu this time. The pinkette was still trying his best to recover. He thought hard, but the lightning was coming fast. There were no swords to act as conductors in the area, which meant that the attack would definitely hit him. The only solution he could come up with was to swallow the attack again.

Then, at that moment, a bright light emanated from behind. Erza had requipped into her standard **Heart Kreuz Armor**, and she was running away from Natsu.

He soon realized what Erza was up to. He tried to stop her, but it was too late; the armor which she wore had drawn the attention of the attack. She requipped into her **Flame Empress Armor** a split second later, with Natsu wondering why she chose it, but the attack reached her before she could complete the transformation. Erza fell to the ground as the lightning electrocuted her. She fainted after one final action.

Orange flames erupted from her hands. As soon as she made a big one, she tossed it towards her partner with these words:

"You can do it, Natsu." Natsu devoured the flames, and Erza passed out momentarily. His upset stomach finally relaxed.

"One down, one to go." Laxus shouted. The last of Natsu's self-restraint snapped completely. A seal akin to the one Gray showed earlier appeared below his standard fire Dragonslayer magic seal. He looked at Laxus, anger in his eyes.

"**Second Origin: Release!" **Natsu was surrounded by a bright light. The earth shook, the winds howled, but Laxus stood firm. A cold bead of sweat tricked down his left cheek.

"Interesting." He murmured.

When the light vanished, Laxus gazed towards Natsu's direction. He looked at his eyes, and momentarily froze in fear.

His black eyes were gone,

And were replaced by cold, blood-red ones.

The temperature grew at an enormous rate, and Laxus found himself sweating because of the intense warmth. Even the air seemed to burn from the display of power.

The next thing he knew, he was encased in a fiery prison, and his skin was seared by the flames which erupted from the ground as Natsu raised his right arm.

* * *

**..Yoh..**

**Hah, so I finally managed to finish the third chapter, and a long one at that! I also managed to pass my quota. I had to sacrifice countless hours of studying in order to finish this, so you guys better be grateful.**

**So yeah, the chapter mostly covered fights, so i hope you guys aren't too disappointed. I really have no idea how I managed to create long fight scenes, and I've no clue if I did well. Tell me your thoughts about it if you drop a review. Also, I spent days debating whether I should stick to English translations for the spells, or try my hand at Japanese. Since I didn't have much time, I stuck with English instead. Do you guys prefer Japanese? I have to tell you, I'm a noob at Romanji and stuff.**

**The next chapter will culminate the fight between Laxus and Natsu. What happened to Natsu, you may ask.?Well, the answer is going to be revealed some time later, or in the next chapter, if I'm feeling generous. A chilling revelation also appears next time, so wait for , the next update would most likely be in October, cause I'm having my semi-finals within the next two weeks, and I need to finish my Finals project for the Semester. Sucks to be me.**

**On a side note, i've made a deviantart account, so I could post stuff related to the story. My sketching skills are somewhat above average, as ive been told. I'll give the link once I've uploaded stuff.**

**Please drop by and review! I'll welcome any thoughts, criticisms, violent reactions with open arms. It helps greatly. If you find a mistake, notify me, so i could correct it.**

**..peace..**

**-Blake-**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: **Fairy Tail is owned by the Legendary Hiro Mashima.**

**Ascalon: The Legendary Dragon Slayer**

**Chapter 3:**

**Battles of Yesterday; Scars of Today**

* * *

Hatred.

It boiled inside him, clouding his judgement, confusing his thoughts and overpowering his emotions. He could feel it coursing in his veins, for it was the only thing which was on his mind. Power came from within, circling his being, strengthening his body, and warming his soul.

Yes, power. Tremendous strength flowed within him, filling every nook, cranny and crevice in his body. He no longer felt his wounds, or his pains. The cuts which severed different pieces of skin were burned shut by the heat his body radiated.

However, this was a different kind of warmth, a different kind strength,

And the fire which erupted from his body was a different kind of fire, flames far more sinister than his own.

"_**Ignius Odius."**_ He heard himself mumble, though the words which came out sounded different.

"_Flames of Hatred."_ His mind voiced out. He was bewildered.

A sharp pang crossed his chest, and pain emerged from his heart, but, as soon as it came, it disappeared without a trace.

For some reason, he felt his anger explode like never before. He gazed towards his opponent. His eyes grew as his mind registered the things he saw. A blonde man was writhing, his whole body covered with fire.

He was shouting and screaming in pain. Blood red flames surrounded him, but they were not his.

"_No!"_ he thought. He tried to make the flames disappear, but it was to no avail.

His whole body was no longer his. His hands wouldn't obey his command. His feet disobeyed his movements. The only thing which seemed to listen to him was his mind.

Lightning flashed. He saw his opponent finally getting away from his fiery cage. He was relieved for a moment; however, his sense of relief disappeared as soon as his arms started moving against his will.

"What the hell are you doing?!" His rival screamed, burns covering his muscular frame.

"_Get away from me!"_ He tried to shout back, but his voice betrayed him. He tried to run, but his body refused to listen.

He shivered, as if his spine had been frozen. His body forced him to wave a hand. Fire came out of nowhere, and burned the battlefield.

"_Why am I like this?!"_ He asked himself. He had only been able to create flames from his body; he had never been able to summon flames from afar.

The sound of laughter broke out from everywhere. A cold and sinister voice, akin to his, spoke.

"**What you feel is my hatred."** The flames continued to ravage the battlefield. He watched as the plants it had touched were reduced to smoldering ashes, and the ground was burned black by the heat it encompassed.

"**What you wield are my flames." **He could see the ashes starting to spread. His rival looked dumbfounded for a moment, but soon, he charged, his entire body enveloped in electricity. Thunder rumbled, and a streak of lightning ran across the grey skies.

The voice spoke yet again, this time with an emotionless tone.

"**And what you command is my flesh."** It finished.

"_NoI! Who- what are you?! Give me back my body!"_ He thought aloud.

"**Did you not awaken me in exchange for power? Did you not break the seal, in order to defeat that Dragonslayer?" **It asked coldly. His rival was still coming towards him, his fists prepared for an attack.

"_I did not want this! Give me back my body!"_ He commanded. He forced himself to focus, to regain control. A large fist came towards his face; however, the area around him suddenly burst with flames, the same blood red ones which had appeared earlier. He watched in horror as the attacker clutched his right hand, the flames refusing to be put out as it encased his entire arm. The man hissed in pain, but he could only look on.

He focused harder, trying to get rid of the voice in his mind, and the flames with it.

His body shuddered. The flames slowly dissipated with another wave of his hand, which he had commanded out of sheer will. He was starting to regain control of his own body, but his sight slowly dimmed, his consciousness started to fade. It took all of his willpower to move a single hand, and he was drained from the action.

"**Why do you fight?! Why do you refuse my power?! Let me kill that bastard for you!"** The voice insisted angrily.

"_No! Who the hell are you?!"_ He retorted. He could see shadows dancing in the corners of his eyes.

"_Please, not now!"_ He pleaded, hoping someone would hear him.

"_**Eram quod es, eris quod sum."**_The voice spoke in a different tongue, but somehow, he understood.

"_I was what you are; you will be what I am."_ His brain processed. How did he manage to understand that? Too many things were starting to confuse him. The force had managed to resume control over him.

He watched as his own body brutally assaulted the opponent in front of him. He grabbed the blonde haired man by his left shoulder, and as he did so, the man hissed once again. Steam billowed from the flesh he held onto. He tried to get away, but there was nowhere to escape to, no sanctuary to recover, in sight. Flames erupted from the ground, surrounding the battlefield once again.

The blood red flames were incinerating everything they touched: the ground, the trees, the plants, the rivers, and even the air itself started to blacken due to the intense temperature. The sky was filled with thick smoke, but he was completely unharmed by the tongues of fire which were licking his skin.

His mind started to go numb. His whole consciousness was on the verge of slipping away.

His sight had given up on him. His senses started to shut down. Before the darkness had consumed the last of his vision, and the silence had blocked the remnants of the cries he was hearing, the voice spoke one last time.

"**The sixth seal has been broken. I will show you who you are!"** Shadows covered his sight, blocking the light which he yearned for. The warmth suddenly died down, and he felt himself being pulled down into a bottomless hole.

T'was the first time he experienced it.

Falling down into the darkness,

With his heart devoid of the hope of ever seeing the light again.

* * *

Laxus held back his scream. His entire right arm was covered by red flames, but they were far more powerful than the ones the pink haired Dragonslayer usually used.

He cursed under his breath. The pinkette slowly walked towards him, his whole body shrouded in a coat of flames as red as blood. He summoned a spear of lightning, and pointed it towards the fire mage.

"**Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" **He called at the top of his lungs, the flames still searing his flesh. He ignored the pain, and threw the spear. It cackled with dangerous electricity as it soared towards the rose haired mage.

The man made no effort to dodge the upcoming attack. He simply continued his stroll as he leisurely closed the wide gap between them. The spear was going to hit him soon.

However, the rival mage's body suddenly flared, as if becoming fire itself. The spear passed through the seemingly intangible body of fire, and as soon as it was out of his range, his body rematerialized; flesh and all. The lightning pierced the ground behind him, and let out a small explosion.

"No way.." Laxus whispered.

He looked closely at Natsu. His face wore an emotionless mask, and his eyes carried a hue akin to the fire he wielded. His rival looked back.

This time, his eyes gave off a steely glint. Fire burned inside those red orbs as he stared down his opponent.

Laxus was unnerved. Though he did not show it, he was trembling with both fear and excitement inside. Ever since the fire Dragonslayer had released his **Second Origin**, the said mage had begun to act in a very weird manner. He had turned off his lightning flame mode and opted for a more aggressive fire play. Ever since his flames turned blood red, he had been spouting indiscernible words. This, however, wouldn't stop him from beating the hell out of the brat.

"Hraahh!" Laxus shouted as he ran towards Natsu, his arm still ablaze from the flames. His body slowly adapted to the heat, but the burns still hurt a lot. He stretched the burning arm towards his rival.

"**Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" **Lightning surged from his arm, its force blowing away the settling flames. A large yellowish magic seal appeared in front of the outstretched fist, and an enlarged version of Laxus' punch came out of it. The attack happened so fast, but then, the fire mage was consumed by his flames, and he vanished, smoke being the only remnant of his previous existence in the area. Laxus' attack sailed past the lingering smoke, crushing a nearby boulder in the process.

He narrowed his eyes, and started tracking down his prey.

"_He's using the same movement spell as me, however, instead of lightning; he uses fire to channel his energy."_Laxus thought. Despite the burns which littered his body, he still managed to show a cocky grin.

"_Which means.."_ He searched for the nearest source of fire in the area, and found a small patch of flames directly behind him. As he watched, the flames flared and expanded, and a dark shadow seemed to force its way out from the heat. Natsu came out of the blaze, his fist ready. He was shouting words which Laxus couldn't decode.

"_**Iuppiter te perdat!" **_

Laxus avoided a jab which was coming towards his right. As the punch sailed past him, the heat singed his right cheek. He charged his left hand with electricity, and brought it upward in the form of an uppercut. Natsu managed to tilt his head back, but Laxus brought his other hand towards the pinkette's stomach. Natsu flew back, but once again, fire covered him, and he disappeared, only to appear at the blonde's unguarded back, a low kick prepared.

"**Fire Dragon's Claw!"** Those were the first understandable words from Natsu, however, the tone on his voice was lower than usual. Laxus felt himself flying from the attack, but he was adamant to bring the opponent down, even if he didn't quite understand the situation yet. He forced himself to face Natsu, his spell ready.

"**Lightning Dragon's Roar!"** Natsu didn't have time to morph into flames, and he received the full force of the attack. He crashed as the ground below him exploded with electricity.

Laxus had managed to flip in midair, and landed with both his feet on the ground. When the dust settled, he expected to see Natsu lying on the dirt, but he what saw was only a huge crater. He heard the sound of flames bursting from above him. He looked up to see a flaming kick coming towards him.

He dashed back as the kick destroyed the ground he had been standing on. Natsu gazed towards him, and he disappeared again. Laxus searched frantically, his lightning ready in case of an attack. He saw the mage reappear from the patch of flames twenty feet in front of him. He focused on his target.

"**Lightning Dragon's Majestic Thunderbolt!" **He shouted at the top of his voice. The grey clouds rumbled, and lightning flickered across the sky. A large bolt of lightning came from above, and struck the fire mage.

Natsu screamed from the pain it brought. His hair stood on one end, his body tingled from the electrocution he had received. He glared angrily towards the blonde.

His body once again turned into flames, and vanished. Laxus searched for the nearest source of heat. He looked to his right, just in time for the pinkette to appear, but he disappeared once again, right when Laxus rushed towards his fading image.

"_Shit! It was a feint!"_ He was caught off balance. He heard the roar of fire from his left.

"**Fire Dragon's Roar!" **Natsu blew a torrent of crimson flames, burning Laxus all over again. The force of his roar sent him flying away.

Laxus crashed against two large stones, rolling and tumbling as he passed through them, and finally landed on a cliff face. He fell down as his momentum was stopped. He forced himself to stand up.

"You've done it now punk. I'm officially pissed." He spoke through a mouthful of dirt. Lightning cackled from his body. A bright yellowish seal appeared below him, and below it, was another seal, slightly lighter than the previous one.

"**Second Origin: Release!"** Light illuminated the area as countess thunderbolts struck the battlefield. The roar of lightning blew the waves of the sea which surrounded the island. Natsu stood firm, as the flames he had summoned to surround the area were blown away by the force of the thunder.

The light disappeared, and the figure of a now standing Laxus could be seen. His fatigue seemed to have disappeared along with his smirk.

"I don't know what's going on Natsu, but you're going to pay. I'm not gonna hold back anymore." He declared, and disappeared in a flash.

"_**Brutum Fulmen.." **_Natsu scoffed, his face still devoid of any emotion.

* * *

"_Where am I?" _Natsu thought. He opened his eyes, but he saw nothing, except for the vast sea of darkness which lay before him. The wind was rustling in his ears, and the force of the breeze blew his hair and scarf from the back. He felt his body being pulled down. His arms wouldn't move, and he tried to shout out loud, but no words came from his mouth.

The only thing he knew was the fact that he was falling into a bottomless hole.

"_What the hell is happening?" _He asked mentally. Then, a thought hit him.

"_Am I dying?" _ He incredulously asked himself. It was the only conclusion he could come up with. How the heck was that even possible? A few moments ago, he had beaten Mirajane, the demon, using a cheap trick. After that, he was squaring it off against Laxus with Erza's help, and the last thing he remembered before he fainted was him releasing his second container, and unleashing flames which he had never seen before. He thought of the blood-chilling voice he had heard, and he shivered. He tried to look closer towards the darkness in front of him.

He could make out a faint glow. He stared at the tiny light for a few seconds. He thought it would grow smaller as he fell deeper, but he was wrong. The light slowly grew wider, and wider, seemingly chasing him.

A hand reached out to grab him. Another voice spoke from nowhere.

"_Hold out thy hand." _It asked gently. Natsu felt his worries melting and his exhaustion going away. He wanted to put his trust in this foreign voice. But,

"_I can't move." _He tried to say, but his voice failed him. However, the speaker seemed to understand what he was thinking.

"_Do thou not believe? Hold out thy hand, so I can save thee." _It spoke kindly, the serene tone not fading even the slightest.

Natsu willed his body to move. He felt himself sweating bullets, but soon, he had managed to move an arm. It took all of his concentration and strength to just move it, and he grabbed the outstretched arm, not minding the fact that it was floating in midair, and suspended in the light which was still trying to reach him.

He held the hand, which was smaller than his. Only one thought entered his mind.

"_Warm." _His body felt the warmth of the hand, and the voice chuckled in a feminine way. Natsu only found out now that the voice actually belonged to a girl's.

"_Why are you laughing?"_ he asked.

"_It hath been a while since I held thy hand, Natsu." _ She answered gently. Natsu was surprised.

"_Who are you? Why do know my name?" _Natsu inquired. The voice laughed in a friendly manner.

"_Those are not the right words. The question is, who art thee?" _She asked Natsu. He was starting to get really confused.

"_Follow me. I shalt make thee remember." _The light flashed dangerously, temporarily blinding Natsu. He covered his eyes,

And when he opened them again, he was no longer falling.

He was standing on the edge of a cliff. The breeze was blowing gently, and he could smell the sea.

He looked in front of him, and saw the setting sun in the distance. The clear sky exploded with colors, and the sea reflected the hue of the giant ball of flame. It was perfect, Natsu thought.

"_Beautiful, is it not?" _The girl took the words out of his mouth. He looked at his side, and found a woman clad in white robes. She was close to being as tall as Natsu. Her face was shadowed due to the white hood she wore over her head, and she was gazing at the sinking sun, her bangs covering her eyes. She had a rather pale complexion, and the white dress she wore was quite similar to what a priestess would wear. Natsu looked down, and saw that she was standing barefoot. The girl looked at her left hand.

Natsu found out that he was holding the girl's hand. Warmth filled his whole body. He could feel some kind nostalgia surfacing from the bottom of his being. However, these feelings were unknown to Natsu.

The girl reluctantly let go. Natsu scratched his head with his free hand, and looked around him.

"Where are we?" He asked. The girl refused to look at his face.

"We art in thy memories." She answered sadly.

The next thing Natsu knew, the girl had disappeared. The sun was gone, and the earth had started to tremble.

Natsu tried to balance himself, but it was hard. He tried creating fire to bring himself into the air, but he couldn't.

"_Okay, this is seriously fucked up. What the hell is wrong with me?" _The ground started to crumble, and eventually, the cliff he was standing on broke off. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, the cracks starting to get to him. Finally, he jumped as the last of the cliff crumbled. He had managed to hold on to the newly formed cliff edge, his feet dangling in the air.

However, this patch of ground was unstable, and it broke off, sending Natsu plummeting into the bottom of the deep, blue sea.

Natsu closed his eyes and waited for the depths to swallow him.

* * *

He thought he'd get wet, but he didn't. He could've sworn that he fell into the sea moments ago, but he felt completely dry. Natsu wasn't very smart, but he knew for a fact that if one threw a red stone into the blue sea, the stone would obviously get wet, and so would his body if it ever entered a body of water, which it did. Things were getting messed up.

Another thing, he could breathe. Yes, breathe underwater, a feat he was never able to do in his entire life. Sure, he could hold his breath for a long time, but he had never been able to breathe air under the sea. Yes, things were seriously getting fucked up.

He slowly opened his eyes, and saw, to his surprise that he was lying on a clean patch of grass. The gentle breeze was blowing from the west, and the grass blades danced as it met the wind. He looked around, and he saw that the sun was now rising above the valley formed by two large mountains, when he saw it setting just moments ago.

"Okay, I'm starting to get really freaked out now. What the hell is going on here?" Natsu asked himself. He looked to his right, and saw three cloaked men huddled around a large oak tree. He approached them cautiously, and stopped right in front of the man closest to him. He couldn't see his face, but Natsu felt tremendous power overflowing out of the trio.

"Um, excuse me. I'm kinda lost, do you guys know where this place is?" He asked.

The man didn't reply. Natsu looked towards the other two, but neither of them answered his question. He scratched his head, and asked again, seriously hoping that the three had hearing problems, cause if they had ignored him, he would seriously hand them their asses.

"You see, I don't know where exactly I am, so if you guys could guide me towards Tenrou island, I'd be really grateful, yeah? I still have an unfinished match to settle." He stated. Dead air filled the area, and the awkwardness of the situation grew when the men still refused to acknowledge the presence of the Fire Dragonslayer.

It was as if he had become invisible.

Natsu was starting to get pissed.

"Answer me, dammit!" He moved his hands toward the closest man, and tried to grab his cloak by the neck, but his hands failed to catch the cloth. He tried again, but his hands merely passed the man. He looked at his own hands, and he saw that they were transparent.

Natsu had become intangible, like a ghost. He was like a phantom, which could phase into objects. Like a shadow which could never be caught.

He had become like a memory, a mere figment of one's mind.

"_Memory, huh?" _ He pondered deeply.

He remembered the girl saying that she'd show him his memories, but what did she mean by that? What kind of memories would be shown to him? Natsu's mind was on the verge of crashing due to the vast amounts of things his (puny) brain could not comprehend.

Was this the memory she had spoken of? Natsu couldn't remember a scene similar to this in his entire life. As far as he could remember, he had never been to this place, and he had never met any of these people. He looked around, searching for more clues, when suddenly, the men started talking.

"The sword should be near." The man on the left started to say. He looked straight at Natsu, but he didn't notice the presence of the pink haired boy. Natsu noted that the man was actually carrying a large flat object on his back, probably a sword, which was wrapped in a white, leathery material. He grasped what looked like a handle, and swung the sword over his head. He slashed the air with it a few times, and once he was satisfied, brought it towards his shoulder, carrying it in a somewhat lazy manner.

**"I'm really tired of searching for this item, Ace. Is the trouble really worth it? Besides, that weapon you have would already suffice for us to defeat the guards and storm the castle."** The man in the middle spoke as he gestured towards the bandaged blade. Natsu could've sworn that he had heard that voice before.

"You're not getting the point here. We need to save the priestess, and that fortress is filled with enchantments even my **Curtana **couldn't break. We need every available arsenal we can get, and lucky for us, Sephy here managed to decode the runes which would lead us towards our second Legendary weapon." The man called Ace replied. He tapped his right foot as he spoke, clearly indicating his impatience.

The man on the rightmost coughed loudly, gaining the attention of both.

"I told you to stop giving me that nickname, Ace! And I agree; we should start our plan to rescue the priestess already. I fear the things the sentinels have done to her. Besides, both of you are already strong enough to stand against them, and with **Curtana **in your possession, we already have a chance to succeed." The man in the middle nodded his head in agreement.

"What are you implying then? We should just leave and let our search go to waste?! No! Can you imagine the things we could do with two of the Legends in our possession? Quit being a coward, Seraphos!" Ace shouted.

"So what if you're a Dragonslayer?! That doesn't mean you can boss me around! And I told you already; use my other name, you bastard!" Seraphos bit back. He took off his hood, and Natsu caught a glimpse of his face.

His skin had a pale complexion, and the black hair which grew on his head covered both of his eyes. Natsu recognized the man; it was the same man who had tried to pick a fight with him seven years ago on Tenrou. Natsu clenched his fists as he remembered the man's name.

"Zeref. What the hell is the meaning of all this?!" He asked aloud, though nobody answered him. He continued to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me, buddy? I'll teach you to learn your place!" Ace pointed the sword towards Seraphos, who Natsu knew as the black mage Zeref. He pulled off his hood, revealing his spiky, white hair. A scar ran from his right cheek towards his left, stopping as it reached the bridge of his nose. A grin was plastered on his handsome face. Natsu didn't recognize who this man was.

The black haired man looked from the sword, then to the man who held it. He proceeded to look at the man at the middle, seemingly asking for help. The man sighed, and patted Ace's back.

**"Hey, quit brandishing that thing around. You know how dangerous that sword is, Ace."** He stated. Seraphos relaxed as he saw Ace putting the sword down.

"Hmph. You're lucky the boss is on your side this time, punk." He said smugly. Zeref pulled a quick punch towards his face, but he managed to block it with his free hand.

"You think I can't take you on?! Fight me then! I may only be able to perform healing magic, but I can kick your ass just fine!" He declared angrily. Ace slightly raised his sword again. Before the two could duke it out, the man in the middle shouted.

"**I said STOP it, you IDIOTS! **The still hooded man whacked both on the back of their heads, knocking the bickering duo towards each other's heads. Both looked at him angrily, nursing their heads while doing so.

"Why the hell did you do that?! Zeref was the one who started it!" Ace cried. He was rubbing his sore forehead.

Natsu confirmed that the black haired man really was Zeref. However, he was utterly shocked when he heard what Zeref had said in reply.

"He had it coming, Natsu!" Natsu stared at Zeref, but he was looking at the hooded man, not at him. He blinked, trying to clarify what he had heard. He was sure that the mage had just called his name.

"_Whoa! What the hell?!" _He looked as the man in the middle took off his hood.

Natsu nearly had a heart attack when he saw the man's features.

He had long, spiky pink hair. The man pulled his pink mane out of the robes he wore, and Natsu saw that the long locks had reached the man's waist. He stared intently at his face, and he saw black eyes boring holes into him. His slightly tanned skin emphasized his hair color. A toothy grin was fixed on his mouth.

Natsu was staring at his own reflection. Though the man looked a bit older and bigger than him, he was sure that this man was somehow held a connection to him. He noticed the absence of a scar on the man's neck, which was the only thing that seemed different between them. Natsu could see that the man didn't wear a scarf similar to his; if he did, the cloak which he wore would've covered it from sight.

"Natsu, look! Something's wrong with the sun!" Ace suddenly cried, gaining his attention. He turned around, and saw that the sun was getting brighter with each passing second, until it blinded him. He closed his eyes to block the light, and as he did so, a piercing scream entered his ears. His sharp hearing amplified the intensity of the voice, and he plugged his ear holes with his fingers to stop the sound from shattering his ear drums.

Silence was all he could hear. He slowly took off both fingers, wiping the earwax off of them. He opened his eyes.

The scenery had changed, and this time, he saw his doppelganger standing in front of something huge. The two men had disappeared, and he looked on as smoke filled the landscape, the area itself had been burned to the ground.

His tears fell one by one as his eyes took in a large, red dragon lying on the burnt ground, with a large sword embedded on its side. Blood was gushing out from where the blade had been stuck, and the pink haired man bathed in the blood of his large victim.

"_Igneel."_

This was the only residual thought which lingered in his mind.

* * *

Natsu was shaking with anger. He saw his likeness shouting and wailing. Then, he heard his own cries, which came from another's mouth.

**"Why?! Igneel, why-why must you die?! Come back, Igneel! I b-beg you, don't die!"** Natsu heard himself crying. The dragon opened one eye, and spoke in a raspy voice.

"T'is your destiny, Natsu. In order to become stronger, my blood must be spilled. Bathe in my essence, and obtain power you have never dreamt of.." He stated weakly.

**"N-no! T'is not written in the prophecy! I already have the sword at hand, yet why must you die?! Don't die on me Igneel! Please, don't leave me again."** He wailed.

**"Please, father. I have already lost both of my friends, I cannot lose you too."** He stated sadly as tears pooled below him. Natsu was frozen in place. His mind could no longer follow what was happening. It was already too much for him to take in.

He felt his tears falling from his eyes, and splashing his cheeks. His mind stopped working, and he felt anger explode within him. He wanted to rush in and make that imposter pay! However, his body was rooted on the spot, unable to move, unable to act.

Suddenly, he felt warmth encase him. Not the heat of the hatred which boiled earlier, but warmth akin to the one he felt when he was with the girl. He heard someone speak.

"Worry not, Natsu. I will save him." Natsu turned around, and so did his other self. He saw light radiating from someone, and for some reason, his worries were washed away as the warmth of the glow touched him. He saw a slender figure walking towards him.

And then, he saw her again. Her hood had been taken off, and though he saw her chocolate brown hair, Natsu couldn't see her face clearly. Her bangs prevented Natsu to get a good glimpse of her face, and the light grew stronger as she came closer. Natsu watched as the girl literally walked past him, and knelt beside his doppelganger.

"Be at ease, I will heal thy wounds." She whispered.

"You shouldn't trouble yourself, milady. I vile creature like myself is not meant to be saved by you. After all, my race has been trying to kill you. Please, just let me die in peace." The dragon muttered. Both Natsus were still shedding tears.

"Hush now, Dragon. Thou art not meant to die yet, Igneel, King of the Flames. Thou shalt play a vital role in the future. The prophecy cannot be fulfilled without thee." She stated. A bright light emanated from her hands, and Natsu thought he saw the girl looking at him as she spoke, but when he looked again, she was staring at the large sword which had pierced the dragon. The girl whispered something in the dragon's ear.

"**Somnus!" **Natsu understood. He watched as Igneel closed his eyes, and breathed in a relaxed manner.

"Did thou lose control again, Natsu? Did I not tell thee to not use the sword until t'is completed?" She spoke kindly towards his other self.

**"I-I'm sorry. It happened again when I fought with Acnologia. Igneel rushed in to save me, but the sword had possessed me. T-the next thing I knew, the sword had pierced Igneel. Can you save him?"** The long haired Natsu asked. The girl nodded.

"By piercing an entity of flames, the Blessing of fire has been embedded in thy sword. T'is lucky that thou hath managed to strike the source of his flames, but not kill him immediately. Yes, I am able to save him." The girl replied.

**"Thank you,-"** Natsu's inhuman hearing didn't manage to hear the girl's name, because the wind suddenly blew so hard, and the air pressure dropped at an alarming rate. The only thing which Natsu could hear as he covered his ears was a sharp, piercing sound.

Then, the scene around Natsu started to spin. The images he saw flickered, and the colors continuously shifted. He felt like he was about to throw up, but soon, the scene had stabilized, just before it dissolved completely, and Natsu was left standing alone, the darkness the only thing which surrounded him yet again.

* * *

"**Lightning Dragon's Thunder Bullet!" **Laxus pointed his open palm towards his opponent. A surge of electricity gathered in its center, and several oversized balls of energy came out and chased the pink haired Dragonslayer, whose body was covered in crimson flames. The said Dragonslayer's body flared, and the lightning orbs passed through him.

Laxus turned his own body into lightning, and quickly maneuvered it past the obstacles which littered the ground, and the holes which broke different surfaces of dirt. As he dashed to find a better attacking position, he took a quick look back, and saw his rival chasing him; his entire body clad in flames. The distance between them slowly disappeared, and the blonde thought of a quick plan to attack his pursuer. Laxus stopped abruptly, and aimed a kick towards the pinkette's temple; however, his kick didn't manage to hit the fire mage, who had already managed to duck. Natsu, in retaliation, spun around and tried to kick both of Laxus' feet, however, the lightning mage simply jumped, and aimed a roar towards Natsu at point-blank range. The pink haired boy willed the flames within him to gather in his own mouth.

"**Lightning Dragon's Roar!" **Laxus aimed his own roar towards the blonde.

"**Fire Dragon's Roar!" **Both spells clashed. For a few moments, the force of both spells pushed both mages back, until an explosion came from the meeting point of both attacks, and the intense shockwave that came sent both mages flying in opposite directions.

However, both mages were adamant in bringing the opponent down. When the dust cleared, both combatants were still dishing out their most powerful techniques.

Natsu flipped in midair, and landed on both feet. He used the ground as a springboard, and used his flames to propel himself towards his opponent. Laxus did the same, his body once again clad in electricity. Both came towards each other, their techniques ready.

"**Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" **The temperature around Natsu increased at an alarming rate. He came towards the opponent at a fast pace, with a head butt prepared. Laxus stopped, and he waited,

And waited. When the pinkette was now very close to him, he crossed both arms in front of him, and attempted to block the attack, which was aimed at his stomach. Laxus was pushed back as Natsu came, headfirst, and drove him away. The heat was still not to his liking, and he shouted as the crimson flames burned him yet again.

"**Lightning Dragon's Thunder Eruption!" **The ground below them exploded, and lightning came from below, striking Natsu and launching him a few feet into the air. Laxus aimed lightning powered punches at the stunned boy; each hit that connected came harder than the one before. Natsu wasn't able to block a single punch in his state, but the flames which surrounded him still managed to burn his assailant. Laxus suppressed the torment he felt, and continued raining attacks at his enemy.

He cocked his fist farther, and a large surge of electricity covered his entire arm.

"**Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" **Natsu was sent flying as a large, lightning clad fist connected with his stomach. Laxus' image flickered, and he was gone not a moment too soon. As Natsu flew higher, lightning flashed, and Laxus reappeared at his unguarded back, another punch aimed at him.

"**Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Roaring Thunder!" **He charged forward, and struck his rival with a lightning imbued punch.

Natsu's spine would've snapped if not for his body's incredible durability. The flames didn't disappear even as he fell, and he crashed like a meteor towards the hard ground. Dust came as the impact created a large crater the size of a house. Laxus charged another lightning beam towards Natsu.

"It ends here, Natsu!" He shouted.

"_**Stercum.."**_Natsu muttered. He needed more time to recover his momentum; the last attack definitely hurt, and the next would definitely hit him if he didn't do something soon.

"**Lightning Dragon's Roar!" **A wide blast erupted from Laxus. Natsu's red eyes lit up dangerously as a shadow appeared in front of him.

"**Requip: Lightning Empress Armor!" **A bright light engulfed the person who stood in front, just as the blast came and hit smirked triumphantly, but his smile vanished when he saw the red haired beauty standing in front of his prey. He tried to shout something to her, but he had to duck in order to avoid the large spear which was thrown in his direction.

Erza turned around and held out her hand. The pink haired boy stared at her, confusion and disbelief in his eyes. His body started shaking.

"**It cannot be. You're supposed to be dead." **He spoke in whispers. Erza smiled sarcastically.

"Do you seriously hate me that much, Natsu?! I'm not dying until you finally manage to beat me, you idiot." She declared.

"**I saw you die! Did you come back to haunt me, Priestess?! Get away from me!" **Natsu screamed, and tried to scurry away. Erza had an inquisitive look on her face, and she froze when she gazed at his eyes.

His onyx colored eyes, which were always full of warmth, was replaced by cold, blood-red orbs. Her mind instantly yelled for her to get away as soon as possible.

A shout came from above her.

"Get away from him, Erza! That man is not the Natsu you know!" Laxus called at the top of his lungs. Erza looked as the pinkette crawled closer, and stroked her scarlet hair.

"**Your hair. It's the same color as my flames." **He spoke, and his emotionless face morphed into an angry one.

"**You are not her. How dare you fool me, you imposter!" **He launched a quick jab towards her stomach, but she managed to get away before it hit her. She dashed a few feet back, away from the Dragonslayer.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Answer me, Natsu!" She yelled. She felt the air intensify, as crimson flames burst from the ground.

"**Tace atque abi!"**Erza heard what he said, but she failed to understand him. She steeled herself for the worst possible outcome which could happen. The flames danced in the wind, and a large red seal appeared below Natsu, covering the entire battlefield. He spoke in a blood chilling tone, and the words which came out this time were understood by her.

"**All of you will die! I will burn the earth until my fury is gone!" **He shouted, the red seal glowing eerily as he spoke.

"_What happened while I was unconscious?."_ She thought as she prepared herself to fight against her partner.

* * *

He was all alone, yet again.

He looked around, but the darkness covered everything in sight. He relaxed, trying to recall the images he had seen.

If these images really were his memories, then that would mean that he was supposed to be right there when it happened.

"_But you were there, weren't you?"_ his mind spoke for him. He remembered the man who looked exactly like him; even his name was similar. That man can't be him, can it?

He recalled Lucy saying something about putting yourself in place of someone you're trying to understand. For the first time in his life, he tried to take her advice seriously; after all, Lucy was smart. Well, at least she was smarter than him.

He tried placing himself in the man's shoes. He pictured himself clad in black clothing, a bit older than his current self, with his pink hair worn long and messy. For once, he started thinking seriously, and tried to get some facts straight. If only Gray was here, he would seriously be reprimanded for trying to act like a genius. He immediately tried to clear the thought of a naked Gray teasing him for acting smart.

He focused, and the images appeared in his mind. He remembered the sun, rising in the valley. He recalled three friends, searching for something.

He had known the two men: one was the black mage Zeref, who, if he remembered correctly, orchestrated the destruction and fall of humanity. However, he had found out that Zeref, or Seraphos, was his companion, and the only magic he knew was healing magic, contrary to the belief that he used death magic.

The other man was named Ace, a white haired teen who carried a large sword whose name he could not remember. He did remember, however, that the man was a Dragonslayer, but his element was unknown. He was speaking something about gathering the Legends, or whatever those were.

The three were searching for another sword, an object which would help them rescue a priestess imprisoned in a fortress, or something like that.

Natsu's mind started to hurt from all the information he was trying to take in. Never in his life had he used his brain to this extent.

Then, he pictured the next scene. He saw a dragon with red scales in front of him. A sword was lodged in its side, and Natsu felt his eyes tearing up again.

He had seen Igneel, his father and mentor, for the first time in 14 years (_counting the time he spent frozen in Tenrou_). Natsu had been desperately searching for him ever since his disappearance, and here he was, laying half-dead, in front of him.

However, he didn't expect their meeting to be in his memories. He tried to focus on what had happened.

He had fought Acnologia, the black dragon, according to his past self. Igneel had come to help him, but the sword he wielded had somehow possessed him, and the next thing he saw was Igneel lying in the ground, a sword impaled in him, and the dragon Acnologia gone. He discussed about a prophecy, or something of the sort, with Igneel. Then, a girl appeared, and spoke of something about the future. She had promised to heal Igneel, and when he tried to catch her name, the vision vanished, and he was left in the mercy of the darkness.

A thought occurred to Natsu. Just who was that girl? If only Natsu could see her face, then he might be able to remember her.

"Wait a minute. Something's not right." He spoke, but no one listened to him.

The girl said that those were his memories, right? Even if he did forget, he would've believed her immediately, if not for one missing detail. If he really was the man in those scenes, then

"Why the hell am I all grown up?! If those things had happened in the past, then shouldn't I still be a kid, instead of being an older version of myself?! Aagh! This is all so confusing!" He cried out, pulling his hair in the process.

"What the hell is the meaning of all this?! Why were these shown to me?!" He shouted. He started pacing, even though he couldn't see where he was going.

"Just who the hell am I?!" He asked aloud.

Suddenly, a brilliant light came from nowhere. Natsu covered his eyes, and tried to look for the source of the radiance. The darkness had been shattered by the luminous aura, and he could make out a slender figure walking gently towards him. He knew it was her.

"Who art thee, thou asketh? I am sorry, but I cannot answer thee. Someday, thou shalt find the answers to thy questions." She spoke, using the same serene tone earlier. Her hood had had been taken off, and her brown hair flowed behind her back, but Natsu couldn't still see her face clearly.

"As for the memories of thine, they were shown because the seal hath been broken. T'is the only thing I can offer thee, child of fire. Thou hath a special destiny. Thou may hath forgotten, but thou must fulfill thy prophecy. T'is thy burden to carry." She proclaimed. Natsu still had no idea what she was talking about. She grabbed both of his hands and held them close to her chest. Natsu was blinded by the dazzle her clothes were giving off.

"Thou should go now. The battle is almost over. **He** will soon relinquish control of your body." He could make out tears dripping from the girl's cheek. He took his right hand, and wiped them off her face. His own eyes started tearing up as he did so.

He felt his body getting lighter, and he started floating up. His body was being pulled upwards, but the girl still held one hand, and it was the only gesture which stopped him from being drawn up. He decided to ask two last things.

"W-who are you? And why are helping me?" He asked, tears still falling from his eyes. He saw the girl smile.

"_**Serva me, servabo te. **_Do thou not remember thy promise?" She reluctantly let go of his hand.

"We will meet again, Natsu Dragneel." The light consumed Natsu.

"_**Vale."**_ He closed his eyes to stop the tears from falling.

Before he could open his eyes, he heard a girl screaming his name. He felt arms wrapped around his waist, and the smell of smoke filled his nose.

He didn't know why, but he was still crying, and the tears from his eyes didn't stop falling.

He opened his eyes, and he saw Laxus Dreyar lying wide eyed on the ground, his right fist close to hitting his face. Reality hit him.

He realized his stance; an arm covered in blood red flames was raised and poised to kill the person in front of him. He could hear someone crying behind him.

"P-please, Natsu. Laxus is already beat. Please, s-stop this. Come back, I beg you." He looked towards her. She was the only thing that prevented him from landing the final blow on his opponent. He lowered his arms. As he did so, the fire died out. He saw the flames which covered the battlefield extinguished themselves as soon as he regained control of his body. He breathed in, and spoke.

"I am back, Erza." Erza noticed the change in his voice, and hugged him tighter. Their reunion was short-lived, however, when Laxus shot a beam of electricity towards the two.

"**Lightning Dragon's Roar!" **He shouted, blasting both Natsu and Erza from point-blank range.

* * *

Erza's unconscious body fell to Natsu's right. He looked over to see how she was, and found her still breathing. He glared at the blonde, who was making his way to the duo.

"What the hell are you doing, Laxus?!" He snarled. Laxus stopped, and returned the glare with one of his own.

"You may have returned Natsu, but that doesn't mean that the fight is over. I still don't know what the hell's going on, and given the previous situation, both you and Erza are still my enemies. If you want me to stop, you need to beat me here and now." He declared. The skies rumbled, and soon after, the rain started to pour. Natsu decide that he would have to finish this battle once and for all.

Both parties were running out of magic energy. Laxus had suffered major burns given to him by those crimson flames. He was panting, and his breathing grew more ragged with each passing second. He was determined to make the pink haired mage pay after what he had done moments ago. He charged his fists with an ample amount of electricity.

Natsu, on the other hand, was still distracted over the things he had seen. His heart still weighed heavily after his encounter with the girl, and the thought of an unconscious Erza worried him. He suddenly felt the fatigue his whole body had been shouldering since the start of his fight. However, he was going to win this fight no matter what.

Laxus vanished in a flash. The pouring rain started to grow stronger and stronger, but he was undeterred; he willed his senses to search for the enemy amidst the distractions. He forced himself to focus.

He closed his eyes, and listened.

He did not know what prompted him to act like this, but he did. He could feel the drops of rain hitting every surface of his exposed flesh. He could still smell the smoke which came from the doused flames which erupted when he lost control. He could hear the hissing of the burnt ground as the rain washed away the heat it contained.

He heard it, the sounds of sparks buzzing here and there. It was coming closer, and closer. He opened his eyes, a triumphant smirk gracing his face.

"**Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Raging Thunder!" **Laxus struck from Natsu's unguarded back. However, Natsu had already discerned where the attack would come from. As his fist came crashing down, Natsu spun to his left, effectively avoiding the powerful attack.

"**Dragon Slayer Secret Art.." **Natsu muttered. Laxus couldn't defend himself due to the momentum his attack carried.

"**Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!"**With his hands ablaze, Natsu rapidly puched Laxus, hitting every body part he could reach. With each blow that landed, a fiery explosion was let loose. He finished the spell with a flame powered uppercut, which sent Laxus into the air. A powerful explosion came as the impact brought Laxus flying.

Natsu wasn't done. He gazed at Laxus, who was getting farther and farther. He knew that given ample time, Laxus would somehow recover, so he decided to finish off his opponent. He took notice of the resulting explosions his attack had caused, littering the air.

He pictured himself getting out of the explosion closest to Laxus. He felt his body twitch, and the next thing he knew, he had materialized right in front of his rival. He didn't have enough time to think about what had happened, opting instead to let loose his final spell. Flames covered both of his arms as he called his last move.

"**Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"** He spun, swiping his arms in a circular fashion, and in the process, created a barrage of destructive flames which consumed his opponent. The torrents overpowered Laxus' body, until he couldn't take the hits anymore. His body couldn't keep up with the pain, and his endurance finally wore off.

Laxus remembered; this was the same move Natsu had used to defeat him years back. How fitting, since it would be the last spell he had summoned to beat him once again.

Laxus' body hit the ground; his consciousness having slipped away. Natsu landed soon after, a grin fixated on his face.

* * *

Natsu casually walked towards his unconscious partner, and took her in his arms. He reached towards her underarms, and gently tickled the exposed flesh beneath the armor she wore.

She didn't react immediately, but soon, he could hear Erza stifling her chuckles. She slowly opened her eyes, and gazed at his onyx eyes, feeling the warmth of his eyes return. Natsu stopped tickling her.

"Did you win?" she asked weakly. Natsu nodded, and helped her up, but Erza only managed a kneeling position.

"Yes, I did. Thank you-"He suddenly collapsed due to exhaustion, but Erza managed to catch him. He heard him say one final word before he passed out.

"Erza." It was her name.

She stroked his pink locks as time passed. She looked past him, and saw the Master walking towards them. She watched as Makarov Dreyar replaced the grim expression he was carrying with a weak smile. He stopped in front of the duo, and patted the Dragonslayer's head.

"Congratulations, Natsu Dragneel. You have passed the final test."

Natsu didn't know what happened after, as his mind entered the darkness once again. His thoughts wandered the memory he had dreamed of, and there, he saw his own image, crossing his arms, a seemingly permanent scowl fixated on his face. Natsu looked closer, and he saw that the other man had long, waist length hair, and was a head taller than him. Fear resurfaced in his heart, as he stared at his own reflection.

* * *

He thought it was all over, but he was wrong. The malice which had controlled his body appeared in the flesh. Natsu prepared himself for a fight, but his body was still burdened by the fatigue it carried. His knees wobbled, and he fell down kneeling, unable to sustain the strength to stand. The older figure walked, the darkness seemingly parting to let the man pass. He stopped in front of Natsu.

"**What the hell is up with that face?! You look as if you've seen a ghost!" **He voiced out, and laughed. It was a rather rare sight, seeing a scowling man, with a face similar to his, laughing, without dropping his scowl for even a second.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be, huh?! Are you some kind of evil alter ego who surfaced from my hidden powers?!" Natsu asked incredulously. The man stopped laughing. He spoke in a booming voice.

"**What on earth are talking about? Evil alter ego? Are you serious?! You've read too much manga, I reckon…" **The man declared, nodding his head at the thought. Natsu was rather surprised at how the situation turned out. He half expected his look alike to give a monologue about how futile it was to refuse his power, or something similar. The way the man talked completely betrayed the seriousness of the situation.

Then, the man's expression suddenly hardened, and his eyes gave off a steely glint. His shoulders tensed, and his scowl deepened. Natsu was lost as he stared at those red eyes, prompting him to remember his "memories".

"_Wait a minute. If I remember correctly, his eyes should be the same color as mine." _He thought. The man looked at him.

"**It seems that you have some questions, young one." **He directed his words at Natsu.

"You are me, right?" He asked reluctantly. The man thought for a while, probably thinking of the best answer to relay.

"**Yes, I am you, but at the same time, I am not." **He answered after a minute. Natsu tried standing, but his legs still didn't have enough strength in them. He remained in his current position. A cold bead of sweat trickled from his cheek to his chin.

He seriously wanted straight answers. He hated riddles, and the answer the man gave him was hurting his mind. The older mage seemed to have read his distress, because he spoke again, but in a clearer manner.

"_**Eram quod es, eris quod sum."**_Natsu had heard of this before, and he was shocked when he once again understood the meaning of this foreign words.

"**I was what you are; you will be what I am." **The man's words coincided with his thoughts.

"**I am what you might consider your past." **The man explained. Natsu still had no clue what the guy was talking about, but he continued listening.

"**And I will become your future."**He finished. Natsu didn't like where the conversation was leading to, so he tried to delve into another topic.

"So the images I saw-" He didn't get to finish his sentence, because the man cut him off.

"**Yes, they were real. I know that this information is too much to take in, but you must accept the fact that you are so much more than what you think you are." **Natsu opened his mouth to speak, but his older self continued.

"**I cannot give you all of the answers you seek, for now. The only thing I can offer you is power, the power to defeat everyone you despise and hate." **He proclaimed darkly. Natsu confirmed the fact that this man really was the reason for his earlier thrashing, and decided to give the man a piece of his thoughts.

"Yeah, thanks buddy, but I think I'll pass. I don't care how strong you can make me, but I'd rather keep my mind intact, even though it doesn't contain much. Besides, you inflicted pain towards my nakama, and that's one thing I can't easily forgive." Natsu declared. When he remembered how he lost control and burned Laxus, his anger flared.

"**Why did you break the seal, then?! Why then did you release me?! Was it not to punish your enemies?! Tell me, Natsu Dragneel, for what reason did you become powerful? For what purpose does your magic serve?!" **The man questioned fiercely, and as he did so, blood-red flames burst from his feet, and trailed towards his body, until he was surrounded by it. Natsu could feel the intense heat of the flames; they were probably the hottest he had ever encountered. He took a deep breath, and calmed himself. He would not let himself get affected by the man's pace.

Natsu found the strength to stand as he thought about the people he had bonded with. He pictured his guildmates, his friends, his rivals, and even the enemies he had managed to connect with through the power of his emotions. He faced his older self, unafraid of the flames which could burn him. He stood firm on the ideals he carried, and the beliefs he held onto.

"Magic is not meant to hurt somebody. No, I use my magic for the sake of protecting those I hold dear. It is for that reason that I became strong, so that I would be able to keep my loved ones safe from harm. If you really are me, then perhaps you too would understand." He finished. The man's flames dimmed slowly, and finally died out. For a moment, only silence could be heard. He walked towards the younger mage, and Natsu was shocked when he saw him smile, his scowl gone.

"**Yes, I too was like you. I once believed that my magic should be used to protect." **He looked towards Natsu. But soon, his smile was replaced by a frown.

Tears started falling from his eyes, and the crimson flames reappeared suddenly, surrounding both men. Natsu screamed from the burns which the fire had given him. It was rather ironic; the fire Dragonslayer was burned by his own element, however, this wasn't a first. Natsu could only count on the fingers of his hands the times he felt pain due to the heat, and honestly, these flames were by far the hottest, and the most painful he had been subjected to. The only thing which enabled him to endure the flames was his nature as a fire Dragonslayer, but this wasn't enough to stop the heat from hurting him.

He could feel the man's feelings through these flames.

Anger? No, Natsu had felt the fury of his anger fuel his fire. These flames were a result of something stronger and darker than anger.

He recalled the very first words he said when he released his **Second Origin**. The man voiced his thoughts.

_"**Ignius**_**_ Odius._ Yes, these are the flames of my hatred." **He spoke, his face completely devoid of emotion.

"Why?! Why all these bitterness and hate?! What the hell happened?!" Natsu questioned. He grit his teeth as the fire destroyed what remained of his clothes, save for his scarf, which was left untouched by the heat.

The older man grabbed both of Natsu's shoulders, and he screamed further as the heat grew even hotter. He once again fell into a kneeling position, the pain too much for him to bear. He forced himself to look at the man's crimson eyes, and he saw the anguish and fury the man held. He was lost in those red orbs, and he felt images flickering around him, and replacing the black landscape.

"**I watched as I lost my friends. I looked on as I sealed someone who would've become my ally. I merely gazed at the body of my father, who I almost killed."** He spoke through tears. Natsu started seeing visions.

"**I couldn't save the town I was supposed to protect. The hundreds who depended on me died, and I failed them."**

He stopped, and this time, he roared his last statement.

"**I watched as the girl I loved sacrificed herself in front of me, for the sake of the future! I watched as she impaled herself on the blade I held, so that I would gain power. Why?!" **He asked angrily. Natsu started tearing up.

"**My strength was not enough to protect my friends! It was not enough to bring my enemies into the light! The power I held, though great, was not enough to save the one I love! Power! T'was what I lack! I needed more power in order to cleanse this world with my flames, and bring forth the calm that I yearned for! Hahahaha! Power!" **he started laughing all of a sudden, and the flames grew wilder and wilder. Natsu couldn't take the heat anymore.

"**I will show you the cause of my Hate! I will show you how ugly this world is!" **The flames covered the entire area, prompting Natsu to shut his eyes tightly, so that his sight would not be taken from him by the flames which ravaged his body.

The moment he did so, the scene dissolved. The wind was howling in his ears, and he could hear the roar of a giant creature piercing the air.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, he saw both of his hands grasping the handle of a large sword. He realized that he was reliving his past self's memory. He followed its blade, and his heart stopped beating for a second.

He saw her wearing the same white clothes earlier. Her brown hair flew as the wind rustled. The blade he was holding pierced her stomach, and blood was gushing out of the wound he had inflicted. He saw a gigantic black dragon roaring behind them, and the only thing which stood between the creature and the duo was a golden barrier. Natsu stared at the girl in front of him, and he finally managed to get a clear view of her face.

Her brown eyes were losing their light. Her alabaster skin was getting paler with each passing second, and blood was dripping from the corners of her mouth, despite the smile that was glued on her pretty face. She weakly maneuvered her arms, and wrapped them around his neck, seemingly deepening the large wound on her belly.

"**N-no! Why?! Why are you doing this?! Answer me!" **Natsu felt his mouth move, as these words came out of his mouth. He struggled to break free from the woman's hold, but he couldn't find the strength to move. He saw the dragon flying away from the corner of his eyes.

"One last sacrifice, and the sword will be complete." The girl muttered weakly. Natsu slowly kneeled to the ground, as he delicately laid the girl on his arms. He rested her head on his left shoulder, and placed a hand on her face. Natsu felt tears falling from his eyes.

"**W-why? Why must you die?!Why must you sacrifice yourself?! P-please, don't leave me! I've lost too many people, I cannot lose you! **Natsu let loose his cries. His roar pierced the heavens, and the sky rumbled, seemingly due to his anguish.

"T'is the only way, Natsu. Thou must not die; the prophecy is yet to be completed." She slowly closed her eyes, as she placed her hands on Natsu's.

"**Fuck the prophecy! I do not give a damn about it anymore! I will save you!" **he declared, but the girl placed a hand over his mouth to silence him.

"T'is your burden to carry, Natsu. I have played my role; so promise me that thou will fulfill thine." She said.

"**N-no! I cannot do this without you!" **he shouted, and added

"**I love you, Eara…" **Natsu heard himself say the woman's name, as a sharp pain crossed his heart. The woman chuckled.

"Did thou not proclaim that thee can only protect me, not love me?" She asked, her life force dwindling. A faint light emanated from her wound.

"**It was a mistake! I-I do love you, so please, don't die! Please.." **Natsu begged. The pain in his chest throbbed.

"T'is too late, Natsu. I cannot be saved anymore. But, please, do not lose hope, for I will always be with thee."She declared, and the light grew stronger, completely covering her. Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs.

"**No! Don't leave me, Eara!" **He called, but it was in vain. He felt something soft brushing against his lips, and the warmth which came after eased him for a split second.

"_**Te Amo, Natsu Dragneel…" **_The light called out, and Eara's body flashed, before it completely disappeared. Natsu was frozen due to the kiss he had received, and the declaration of the woman. He reached out his hand, struggling to hold the light.

"_**Nil desperandum ,Non omnis moriar…"**_The light flowed into the sword, which mysteriously suspended itself in midair. Natsu looked on helplessly, his cries getting hoarser and hoarser.

"_**Vale…" **_The light died out, and the sword fell into Natsu's hands. Markings appeared on the sword's blade, which read:

"_Interfectum Dracones"_

But Natsu failed to notice this. He roared for one last time, his voice reaching the heavens and shaking the earth.

"**Earaaa!"**

Blood red flames burst from the ground, covering everything in sight.

Natsu was consumed by his flames.

The whole world was shrouded in red, the skies splashed with blood,

Before it dissolved completely, and Natsu was swallowed by the darkness, which had surrounded him once again.

* * *

**Didn't know where to put this, so I figured translations would go here.**

**Ignius Odius**-flames of hatred

**Eram quod es, eris quod sum**-I was what you are, you will be what I am. This is actually a grave inscription, which teaches people about the inevitability of death.

**Iuppiter te perdat**-damn you. A neat Latin cuss word.

**Brutum Fulmen**-harmless thunderbolt. Usually means an empty threat.

**Somnus**-dream/sleep. A bit similar to **Dormi, **but I'm using it separately.

**Stercum**-shit. Another neat Latin cuss word.

**Tace atque abi**-shut up and go away.

**Serva me, servabo te**-save me and I will save you.

**Te Amo**-I love you. Yeah, right, I know what you're thinking.

**Nil desperandum ,Non omnis moriar**-never despair, not all of me shall die.

**Vale**-farewell/goodbye.

**Interfectum Dracones**-dragon slayer.

* * *

'**Sup?**

**I actually managed to finish this before October, so I'm guessing that you guys are sorta pleased. My semi-finals are over, but I'm going to have my finals on the second week of October, so I decided to finish this chapter earlier. Don't worry though, the next one's due in 3-4 week's time. I, at least, need that much time in order to finish long chapters. Another reason why the chapter was released early was due to the nice reviews I've read. So, I've decided: if I ever manage to read nice reviews, updates will most likely happen sooner. Deal?**

**So yeah, I'm pretty sure that many of you would most likely get confused about some parts of the chapter, and I don't blame you, cause I'm pretty confused myself! Well, not that confused, really. I purposely set up these parts for the sake of future events. Forgive me if you guys are kinda lost, I'll try to give explanations in the future, cause otherwise, I'd be spoiling future events. If you do have questions, feel free to ask, and I'll find time to answer in a spoiler free manner.**

**Anyway, a sincere thank you to all who spent time reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting (is there such a word?) the story! If I had time, I would've given my thanks individually, but I alas, I don't have all the time in the world. I hope a simple thank you would suffice for me to be able to convey my appreciation towards your support.**

**Drop by and leave a review! I'm not really looking for quantities and quantities of comments, but rather, quality ones which would help bring inspiration and improvement towards my writing. Comments, corrections, suggestions, maybe even violent reactions (maybe.) are welcomed. I'm pretty sure that my writing isn't error free, so I'm asking you, help me improve! It's for the common good, after all!**

**..peace.. **

**-Blake-**


	5. Chapter 4

**Foreword: **Yeah, so before you start reading or criticizing (some of us are sadists, and I'm one of 'em), I'd like you to listen to the song "_Akai Hana, Shiroi Hana". _Just search for it in Youtube or something, so that you'd know what I'm talking about in the following chapter, or better yet, listen to it after the third part (line breaks, dude.). Seriously man, this song's good, I like it even though it ain't rock, and I hate anything that ain't rock.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** **Fairy Tail is owned by the Legendary Hiro Mashima. **

**I do not own **_**Akai Hana, Shiroi Hana**_**. **That song was made and composed- by someone of significant importance. Sigh, seriously Google, that's all I've got.

* * *

**Ascalon: The Legendary Dragon Slayer**

**Chapter 4:**

**A Requiem for the Fallen**

* * *

Nightmares.

The terrors of the pitch-black night assaulted his mind. He realized here and then the power that dreams brought.

In his mind, he was alone.

He clutched his head, trying to forget the horrors he had witnessed. The vivid images he had seen terrified him to the bone, and instilled a deep fear within him. The memories which haunted him scarred his entire being, and the ghosts he had met made him remember the catastrophe which had occurred.

He could still see her; the smile that graced her beautiful face, and the brown eyes which looked beyond his soul, searching deep beneath the cage he called a chest, and gazing past the anger and hate which shrouded his heart.

He could still remember; the sword which he held in his hands, and the wound which she had received from the same blade which she had used to impale herself. He remembered as she disappeared into nothing, and he watched on as the dying light she emitted faded, slowly, until it was completely snuffed away.

The vague scenery was still etched in his mind. Despite the darkness which covered his eyes, and the silence which lingered, he could still feel the events as if he were reliving them.

He remembered the weight of the blade he held in his arms.

He recalled the burden his heart carried after witnessing a traumatizing scene.

And he never forgot the throbbing pain which erupted after. His mind had gone berserk, as crimson flames surrounded the remnants of his vision.

But everything merely happened in his mind. As he struggled to find the answers he sought, he failed to notice an ominous aura which came closer, and closer.

"_**Natsu."**_ It called once.

Twice.

And for the third time, he heard it.

His thinking was cut short. His spun around, searching for the owner of the voice. He willed himself to feel its presence, and focus. His eyes could make out a very dark shape. His hearing registered faint disembodied whispers which came from nowhere.

He sniffed the air, and found a rather nasty scent. The smell was even nastier than his rival's underwear.

Death.

Decay.

These two words summed up the miasma which his nose had caught. The scent was so intoxicating; he could feel himself losing his focus from the nausea which resulted.

He tried to dive deeper using his senses. He tried to feel the presence of the being, however,

His heart skipped a beat. He held back a scream which would've pierced the silence. His brain told him to get away from whatever was in front of him.

It was the third time he listened to his mind for today. Through the infinite length of the darkness, he got away as fast as his legs could carry him. Though he couldn't make out where he was going, he was determined to widen the gap between him and the being. He was running away from something, and the shadows chased him wherever he went.

He felt it; the enormous amount of darkness which was contained in that small space. He felt something even more sinister than the aura of death which accompanied it:

Evil.

The scent of something purely evil was locked away inside, whatever that thing was.

He could hear his own footsteps echoing with each move he made. He looked back, and he could feel the entity getting closer and closer to him. The shadows seemed to part ways as the phantom passed.

It was the end of the road for him; for soon after, he could feel the very darkness solidifying and obstructing his path. He gathered what was left of his fading energy into his hands.

A round, orange fireball, roughly the size of a small carriage appeared on his hands as he brought both arms upward.

"**Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" **He cried, and threw the fireball towards his pursuer. He watched as the entity calmly continued walking towards him. His body became one with the darkness, and the bright ball of energy simply sailed past his intangible body, and vanished like smoke.

As the glow of his attack illuminated the area, he could make out a cloaked figure clad in black clothing, a black hood obscuring his face from sight. He could make out a build similar to that of a man's.

"Who are you?!" He called. The man walked at a faster pace.

He could feel his energy being sapped out of his whole body. His knees gave up on him, and he fell into the now solid ground, which was entirely constructed out of the shadows. The man abruptly stopped in front of him.

The whispers grew louder, and hoarser. He tried to block his ears, but his movements were sealed.

The man grasped both of his shoulders, and he felt his very life force being drained away, as if a vacuum was absorbing the very air he breathed.

Images flashed into his mind. Bit by bit, the most recent of his memories were shown to him.

He saw a large gate opening, as dragons came out of it.

He saw a shadow from the future; a shadow which wielded light, and even managed to inflict a mortal wound on him.

He watched as he rode a fiery dragon covered in flames,

And he looked on as he saw the dragon again, guarding a village which was full of frozen, gigantic men.

In his mind, he pictured himself fighting with his guild mates, his victory over a naked ice mage, and finally his triumph against a lightning Dragonslayer.

He watched as these memories were slowly replaced by ones he hadn't seen. He could make out faces of people he had never known.

They were standing around, gathered in a single place, as if waiting for him, beckoning for him to come.

A spiky, white-haired boy was carrying a large, flat blade on his back. Beside him, a young man with black hair was waving at him, his bangs obscuring his eyes from sight.

A tall, cloaked man carrying a large hammer was giving him a thumbs up, and beside him was a man carrying a slim, dazzling blade, covered in white cloth. His long, brown hair fell down to his shoulders, and a calm expression was planted on his pale face.

A little girl with wavy, blonde hair was gazing intently at him. Wing like ornaments adorned her hair, and tiny wings fluttered from her back.

A beautiful woman with long, black hair was smirking at him, and hidden from view was the same brown-haired girl he kept seeing, her slender frame clad in a white hooded robe.

All of them were looking straight at him, and it made him forget about the present for a moment.

He wanted to go to them, but a sharp pain crossed and met his body. He could feel it burning and eating him inside.

Suddenly, a hoarse voice came out off the shadowed hood. The images dissolved, and he forgot every single thought which had resided in his memory.

The whispers multiplied, and he desperately tried to block the sounds with what was left of his willpower.

It was all in vain. The different voices pierced his thoughts, and entered his unguarded mind.

"_**I call thy name, o child of fire." **_

The first voice spoke. It was a kind voice, and he remembered the girl he had seen. In his mind's eye, he saw flames dancing wherever he looked, and amidst the fire which grazed the surroundings, he saw a little boy with pink hair, no older than two, in the wake of the heat.

"_**Born by man, raised by dragon.**_

_**You will be feared as you live on."**_

A new one dictated. He could make out a gruff tone, and he held back a sob.

He recognized it; it was Igneel's voice. He saw the little boy crying by himself, until the fire which blazed in the scenery was put out by a shockwave. A gigantic, red Dragon landed near the kid, and covered him with his thick, leathery wings.

"_**A sacrifice, for your sins to be forgiven.**_

_**Yet frozen in time, your past will be forgotten. **_

_**Break free from your shackles and grow stronger once again."**_

This time, he couldn't stop a tear from coming out. The last memory he had witnessed was replayed in his head. He saw her once more, stabbed by his sword. A bright light erupted, and he saw a different scene. He saw his own reflection in the midst of a gigantic dome, imprisoned by the purple glow it emitted. Shackles bound his arms, and the huge blade which he carried with him stood in front, its edge stabbed to the ground. He looked around, and saw the small girl, her hands clasped together, as if she was praying.

He could see her muttering an incantation which his inhuman hearing skills couldn't hear. The purple dome expanded, and she mumbled two last words.

"**Fairy Sphere!" **The ground trembled, and pieces of debris flew towards the air. He looked on as his doppelganger was brought into the sky, and the ground flew with him.

"_**Release me!"**_ He commanded. The girl cried, and cried. He could see her mouth moving, but sounds weren't coming out. He traced the way her mouth moved, and interpreted the message which she spoke.

"_I'm sorry, Natsu."_

And soon after, the earth that was covered in the radiance of the glow, had completely vanished with everything inside of it. The only thing which was left was a large, country sized hole, which disappeared as the ocean filled it with water, and a giant sword, which floated in the void, until it too was washed away by the sea.

The skies were painted with blood, as embers ravaged the earth. The trees withered and died, and the clouds grew darker with each passing moment. He saw time flying faster, the clouds shifting in a blur, and watched as a faint purple glow covered the skies. A large piece of land resurfaced in the middle of the ocean. He heard an infant's cries, and he saw a tiny baby, lying on a patch of the greenest grass he had ever seen. A large red Dragon was flying in the heavens above, intrigued by the appearance of the island.

He looked down, as he heard the cries of the child.

"_Interesting."_ He muttered.

The whole scene shifted, and dissolved once again. He was back in the pitch-black area; the man still held both of his shoulders. He shivered, as the man spoke next lines of a dead prophecy he had started to recall.

"_**Betrayed by the ones you hold dear.**_

_**You will seek the man you most fear. **_

_**Fall by the hand of the mage of extinction.**_

_**Return to the land where you were imprisoned."**_

The voice held a hint of apathy in it. He shivered as the air started to grow colder, and he could feel the shadows constricting his body. He waited, as the emotionless voice of the man in front of him delivered the scariest nightmare he had ever witnessed in his entire life.

The scene changed once more.

Fire ravaged his surroundings. The sky was filled with black smoke, and he could make out ashes, as they were blown away by the warm breeze which blew across the area. He saw ruins of buildings which were consumed by blood red flames. Cries caught his hearing, and the sounds of sobs, wails, and mourning filled the air around him. His nose caught the scent of a putrid smell.

It was the smell of burnt flesh. He looked around, and to his horror, he saw bodies littered here and there. The corpses of people he knew nothing of were ablaze, the fire which engulfed them trying to reduce the pieces of flesh into ashes.

He felt something taking hold of his right foot. He looked down, and saw a burning hand which was clenched tightly, its owner looking even worse. The man was slowly being roasted to death, his hair was gone, his face was unrecognizable, and the only thing which he could do, was watch on.

"Why? Why would you do this, Salamander?" The fire mage clenched his teeth as the man grabbed him even tighter.

"We trusted you! Die, you Monster!" Someone screamed, and he turned his head in order to find the owner of the voice.

Instead, he found a little girl no older than five. She was clutching a pink stuffed dragon in her arms. Tears rolled down from her eyes as she gazed at his direction.

"Onii-chan, save me." She cried. Natsu tried to reach for her, but he couldn't. His body disregarded his thoughts.

A single, stray teardrop rolled down his face. Fire crawled up towards the girl, and consumed her completely. The ashes which scattered themselves were the only proof which was left of her existence.

He watched, as his flames burned down the remnants of the village, and the inhabitants with it.

He looked down at his hands, and his eyes watered down as he saw blood stained in them.

* * *

A loud shout pierced the serenity and the silence of the night.

"**No!" **Natsu woke with a start.

He looked around frantically, a cold bead of sweat trickling from his face. He felt perspiration drenching his back, and he realized he was lying on a bed. He was panting heavily, his breathing getting ragged with each passing second.

He got up into a sitting position, as the blanket which covered him slid to the floor. He looked again, and his eyes could make out the shape of several empty beds in the room. The lack of light obscured his vision, but he felt a bit relieved. The room offered him safety, for he felt secure within its four corners.

It was probably still night time, and he confirmed it by looking at the window, where he met the moonlit skies gazing back at him, and the stars twinkling in the distance. The darkness which was present in the room was unlike the ones he had been immersed into; despite the creeping shadows, he could feel warmth flowing back in him.

He tried to scratch his back, and took notice of the bandages which covered his muscular body. He looked at his arms, and saw cloth made of wool strapped on both. Natsu could feel his skin itching from the contact with the fabric, but he disregarded it. He was still too preoccupied with the nightmare which he had.

Little did he know that that nightmare was the first of the many he would be having.

He tried to calm down and relax. He regulated his breathing, until it had gone back to normal.

He was confused, and downright scared of the nightmare which he had. He was unable to comprehend the startling visions which he had witnessed.

For the first time in his life, he was scared of going back to sleep.

Natsu positioned his body back into the comfort which the bed offered. He laid down, his head rested in the softness of a single pillow. He tried to gather the last scene in his mind.

Despite his fears, he closed his eyes, and let the dreams take over once more.

* * *

He stood alone, the last scene still intact. The flames had been put out, as he felt countless raindrops hitting every surface of his unguarded flesh. The ground sizzled as the rain came into contact with them, and steam arose from those patches of ground as a result of the clash between elements.

He closed his eyes, and immersed himself into the downpour. The blood which covered his body dropped to the ground, the rain washing them away. He stretched his arms to both sides, and slowly opened his palms.

He could feel it; the vast amount of hate which his heart had contained.

His mouth moved on its own. It was a different language, but somehow, he understood.

"_**Rain; drench away my sorrow, and wipe me clean of the blood I've been stained.**_

_**Let the corpses be cleansed; the ones who've perished, the nameless and the named. **_

_**Mercy; wash away my sins, take away my guilt, and forgive me for what I've done.**_

_**Let the dead rest, and their sins be purged, for the lives which existed, is now long gone."**_

He walked away after muttering this, entirely clueless as to what was going on. Only now did he realize the burden on his back, and his body moved for him, readjusting the weight which he carried. He remembered the sword.

"_**Requiescat in pace…" **_

He heard himself say these words as the scene shifted once more.

He was back in the darkness.

Natsu saw the cloaked man once again, but this time, he didn't try to run away.

He simply waited for his fate to be delivered to him. The man tore of the shroud which covered his body, and the darkness gathered, engulfing him, as he did so.

He saw the face of his pursuer.

The dark mage Zeref was staring back at him intently, empathy written all over his sad face. He directed a small, sorrowful smile towards Natsu.

"It has been a while, old friend." He whispered.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?! Why the hell do you know me?!" Natsu asked fiercely, despite the weakness and fatigue which burdened his body. Zeref shook his head, chuckling as if enjoying a good joke.

"It seems that you still have not recovered your memories. The past which you have known is but a mere myth, however, I will make you remember who you are." Shadows covered his figure, as Natsu tried to grab a hold of the black robes which he wore, however, his hands merely passed the black mage's disappearing form. Zeref snapped his fingers, and said these last words.

"Here's a little present from the past, to prepare you for what lies ahead of in future. I hope you will be ready to embrace your destiny the next time we meet." The shadows around Natsu swirled, until it faded, the dark mage completely gone with it.

"The prophecy must be fulfilled…" a fading voice whispered.

And then, he saw them.

His nakama. His friends- his family stood before his very eyes. The people with whom he had shared his laughter and his pains, his joy and his agony, his failures and victories, his dreams and hopes, were present. The bonds which he had formed with them were irreplaceable, and the trust which he shared with the people he held close to him was unbreakable. He could feel his strength returning just by thinking of his guild mates.

However, his determination was shattered when he saw what happened next.

They were leaving. One by one, they disappeared, not even sparing a single look towards him. He felt his heart waver, his spirit crushed, as the people which were precious to him; his nakama, left him on his own.

First, it was Igneel, and now, even his friends were deserting him.

"You're a murderer, onii-chan." The little girl reappeared, and seemingly mocked him. He didn't even know who this girl was.

"N-no! That wasn't me! Who-who are you?!" He yelled defiantly, denying her claims.

"You, you cannot even remember me… You're a liar and a murderer!" She screamed, and faded away, akin to a ghost.

He watched in horror as his friends continued to walk away from him, fading towards nothingness. His eyes caught sight of a short old man, who was standing still.

"Gramps! Wait for me!" He called. Makarov's face was filled with disappointment.

"I expected a lot from you, Natsu, but it seems that the only thing you are capable of is destruction. You must leave, now!" He said in a commanding tone, as he too started to walk away.

"People who exist only to destroy are unfit to stay in Fairy Tail." He heard a man say. When he looked around, he saw Gildartz, wearing a stoic expression.

His determination dropped further. He looked down, staring at the inexistent ground, his body giving up entirely. He couldn't muster the strength to raise his head.

"You're rather pathetic for someone who has beaten countless strong mages, Salamander." Gajeel's gruff tone reached his ears.

"S-class? You're kidding me right?! Weaklings like you don't deserve to be called as such!" He recognized the tenacity and fierceness of Laxus' voice.

"Those people, you were supposed to protect them, Natsu-san." Wendy's downcast voice came followed by another.

"You couldn't even save me before, right Natsu?" He dared to look up, and he saw the figure of his childhood friend, Lisanna, walking away with her back facing him.

"_No more, please, stop." _He pleaded, but the nightmares continued to assault him.

"When I offered you my guilt, I believed that I was entrusting my faults to someone who sought justice. But apparently, I was wrong; your sins exceeded mine." This time, it was Jellal.

"You really are nothing more than a flame brained idiot. You can't even save a girl within your reach, and to think that I was defeated by the likes of you." Gray mocked him. He looked again, and saw Lucy, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"I trusted you, Natsu, I believed in you! And all this time, you hid that secret from us! Don't you trust us enough? I thought you were our friend!" Lucy's statement drove him into misery, but the horrors didn't end there.

"Natsu, I-I'm scared… o-of y-you…" Happy was shaking in fear, as he flew away.

Only one person was left.

He tried to raise a weary hand in an attempt to reach her.

"_Erza." _He called. She looked him in the eye, and hastily turned around.

The next thing he knew, she left, without even saying a single word.

He felt the ground disappear, as he fell into a void.

Natsu closed his eyes, the hopelessness of the situation driving him into sorrow.

"_I'm still dreaming, aren't I?" _He asked himself, doubt in his mind.

* * *

"What the hell is happening to me?" he asked himself. He could still feel his body falling, as if gravity was pulling him into the very core of the world.

Silence lingered. The images were finally gone, but the misery he felt was still intact, buried deep beneath his soul.

And then, he heard another voice, but this time, it was different.

First, he could only hear a girl humming a melodic tune. It felt rather relaxing, especially after the vision he had witnessed. He felt his mood lighten slightly, as the tune lifted his weary spirit.

He knew it. He felt a tiny glimmer of hope and strength coming back. He regained his calm, as his lips traced a weak smile.

It was her.

Then, the girl spoke words, a certain rhythm accompanying them. Natsu could swear he was hearing the accompaniment of several stringed instruments and beats as her voice muddled his thoughts.

_**Akai hana tsunde ano hito ni ageyo**_

(I'll pick a red flower and give it to him)

_**Ano hito no kami ni**_

(I'll put it in his hair)

_**Kono hana sashite ageyo**_

(I'll give this flower to him)

It was a song, and a rather beautiful one. He immediately forgot about his worries, as he continued to listen, his eyes still shut. The weariness drifted out of his body, the angelic tone working its magic.

_**Akai hana, Akai hana**_

(A red flower, a red flower)

_**Ano hito no kami ni**_

(In his hair)

_**Saite yureru darou**_

(It will bloom and sway)

_**Ohisama no you ni**_

(Just like the sun)

"I thought you were gone." He voiced out, still disbelieving. If his hunch was correct, this was the same woman who had appeared before, speaking in that weird, old-fashioned manner.

And it was the same woman who was struck by the man who claimed to be him.

He opened his teary eyes, shadows of the branches of a tree obscuring the bright sun above him. Leaves fell here and there, as he took notice of the tree's blossoming, iridescent petals. It reminded him of the Rainbow Sakuras back in Magnolia. Natsu felt his head rested on something soft and comfortable. He heard humming similar to before, the girl apparently switching to it instead of singing. He was aware of a hand stroking his hair, but it felt nice, so he didn't stop it. He also couldn't deny the warm sensation which he was feeling. He took a glimpse towards his feet, feeling some weight on top of him, and noticed a hand rested on his chest, clutching a single, red rose.

"Where am I this time?" He suddenly asked aloud. He fixed his eyes back up.

As if on cue, a face appeared in front of him. From Natsu's point of view, the face was upside down, but he noticed the facial features on the person.

Brown eyes stared at his onyx ones. Her flawless, white skin glowed even under the shade. He squinted his eyes, and saw strands of brown hair- well, actually a dark shade of caramel brown when he looked closely, hanging towards him.

When she smiled, his heart did a hundred jumping jacks.

How come he didn't realize this until now? Apart from the color of her hair, everything was the same; her soulful eyes, brimming with hope, her smooth, pale skin, glistening in the light, and the way she smiled, and melted his tough facade.

She looked just like Erza.

"E-Erza?" He asked doubtfully, despite knowing the answer.

"I'm afraid tis not my name. Doth thee not remember?" She asked, an edge of sorrow in her voice. Natsu opened his mouth to speak, but apparently, no words came out. The girl chuckled.

"T'is Eara, Eara Uriel Celestia. T'is a pleasure to meet thee again." She said, as if reintroducing herself to an old acquaintance.

"U-umm. Natsu, Natsu Dragneel. Have we met before?" He asked stupidly. The girl giggled, as if teasing him. They obviously had met before in his visions, but he wanted to know more about the unknown memories which had resurfaced in his subconscious.

The girl straightened up and continued humming. The way she caressed the strands of hair on his head made him feel light headed, and he momentarily tried to forget about the cloaked man and the burned corpses. He was sick of sad and tragic scenes. The girl didn't answer his question.

He could stay like this forever. The girl radiated a certain aura which made him feel cozy and safe. Being with this unknown person made Natsu recall his happiest moments, and he liked that. He noticed a surge of blood going up towards his cheeks, and he looked to the side in embarrassment. He realized that he was lying on the girl's lap, and his blush deepened.

Now you might think that Natsu is dense. Well, yes he is. However, close, intimate contacts (This was one of those moments) with the opposite sex usually drove him into embarrassment, just like the way Lisanna casually clung to his arm when they walked together, or the way Mirajane stroked his cheek when he was resting, or any other girls for that matter. There were also those times when he bathed, with Erza washing his back.

He instantly regretted thinking back. He shivered as he remembered a recent experience which had almost gotten him killed, and he shuddered as he tried to forget about that mixed bath experience. The girl noticed Natsu shaking, and she looked back at him, her face full of worry. He gazed up, the blush still intact, remembering the likeness of the girl in front with the one he was thinking of, and gave an assuring smile, telling her that everything was alright.

He hadn't expected her to start crying. The first few tears splashed directly on his face, as she hastily wiped the rest with her hand.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Instead of answering, she sang the last line of her song.

_**Otsukisan no you ni**_

(Just like the moon)

Then her face came closer towards Natsu's. He waited.

"_**In somnis veritas."**_

And closer, her lips slowly came towards his, but then.

"_**Natsu." **_Someone called. He disregarded the voice, not wanting to leave, but it only grew stronger.

"**Natsu, wake up!" **

* * *

Natsu opened his eyes. He squinted as the light met his sight, and he lifted an arm and tried to block the radiance which the sun was giving off from a nearby window.

It was morning, he thought.

He let his eyes adjust to his surroundings. When his sight regained its focus, he found himself staring face to face, at a beautiful, silver-haired maiden. Her blue eyes defined the meaning of serenity, and the smile which graced her lips eased his worried soul. For a moment, he forgot about the visions he had seen, and instead, tried to focus on the reality which was happening before him. He noticed that the girl was carrying a bundle of clean bandages, and inferred that she had been replacing the ones which he had worn. He felt a bit of wetness on his eyes, and realized that the tears which his eyes had produced were still intact. He hastily wiped them off, as the maiden looked on, tilting her head in a cute manner because of her confusion. She decided not to ask about it, and opted to get his attention.

"Gooood Mooooorning, Naaatsuuuu!" The girl greeted, prolonging her statement with each vowel she uttered.

"Mornin', Mira." He replied weakly after he finished wiping off the remnants of his cries, and showed her a smile of his own. He lifted himself into a sitting position, and looked around, noticing the empty beds near him. A table near them was littered with baskets full of uneaten fruits, and notes full of tiny scribbles; get well notes he presumed, were lodged in the baskets with the food. Banners were hung on the wooden walls which surrounded the room, and a symbol akin to the one he had on his arm, the symbol of Fairy Tail, was painted elaborately on top of the only doorway he could see.

"Why did you wake me up?" He asked wearily.

"Well, I was watching you for a while now. A few minutes ago, you were twisting and turning, muttering things I couldn't understand, as if someone was strangling you." She replied with concern. Natsu was busy observing his surroundings, and found a tiny bird flying outside to amuse himself.

"Then, all of a sudden, your lips were twitching, and you were calling -Erza, Erza. Did you have a naughty dream?" She asked curiously, a smirk on her face. Natsu didn't answer, and continued inspecting the room.

There was no doubt about it. His (puny) brain deduced that he really was in Fairy Tail's Infirmary.

"Well, if you want someone to play with you, I'm right here you know. After all, I'm the one you like, right Natsu?" She asked again, with an obvious edge accompanying her voice. Whether it was from getting ignored or from something else, Natsu didn't know, but the way Mira just said his name made him shudder.

He took another look at the girl beside him, and a bead of sweat trickled from the side of his head to the nape in his neck. He could see a menacing aura emanating from the silver haired girl.

"Um, h-how long was I-I out?" He asked, hastily changing the topic, goose bumps making him shiver in terror. What the hell did he do this time?

"Oh, not long, really. Hmm, maybe a week? I dunno, what matters is that you're alive, right Natsu?" She replied in a very sweet tone, which confirmed Natsu's fears. He really had done something wrong, and to the Demon known as Mirajane, no less.

"You know, they were saying that you were dead. I didn't believe them, however. I held on to the hope that you were still alive," A dark smile replaced the one she had before, as she once again spoke in a sweet voice, which was laced with poison.

"_Okay. I might be alive, but once she's done with me, I'm better off dead."_ Natsu thought. He was visibly shaking, albeit in a comical fashion, but Mira disregarded it.

"U-umm, T-thanks?" He spoke, his voice trembling. He watched in horror as her blue eyes glowed and turned red.

"After all, you still need to be punished, right Natsu? If you were dead, to whom would I exact my revenge?" Natsu nearly crapped his pants. Mira, through some sort of magic unknown to him, bound his arms and legs with the bandages she had been carrying. Natsu screamed as she pulled out something sharp and shiny from God knows where.

"Nooooooooooooooo!" He shouted, as the object became visible in his eyes.

It was a fork, a silver fork one would use to eat.

However, a fork could be a dangerous weapon, in the hands of a master wielder like Mirajane.

"You need to be taught that feelings are not meant to be toyed with, especially the feelings of a maiden such as myself. That's why," Natsu waited with bated breath, she raised the fork, and brought it downward.

"I'm going to eat you, Natsu!" She screamed.

"Help Meeeeee!" Natsu cried once more.

* * *

The doors flew open. In came four mages, prepared for whatever was happening. Well actually, there were three mages, and a cat, so that would make it three and a quarter mages, considering a cat wasn't worth half a human, and if it was, then there would have been three and a half mages, no more, no less. But then again, Happy, the cat, was considered a mage, so maybe that does make it four mages. Sigh, whatever. Moving on.

Erza Scarlet led the team into the infirmary doors. She had bandages on her arms and neck, a white sleeveless blouse gracing her curvaceous body, complete with a blue skirt and knee-high boots. Behind her stood Gray, his hands balled into fists and naked as usual, save for a pair of leather shorts, and Lucy, who wore a simple green tank top and a pink miniskirt. Happy, the cuddly, blue cat-mage (seriously?) flew above the trio, and like the rest of his comrades, stared wide-eyed at the scene before them.

Mirajane was holding a fork above Nastu, laughing as she saw the scared expression on his face. His skin had turned sickly pale, like a ghost's, and the black pupils which were supposed to be housed in his eyes were gone. His mouth was a large, gaping hole. It took him a few seconds to realize that he had been tricked. He blinked his eyes, and closed his mouth shout, scowling at the laughing Demon.

"Shit. Don't joke like that Mira! You nearly gave me a heart attack." Natsu yelled, his heart still racing.

"Oh, who ever said that I was kidding about your punishment Natsu? We will talk about it later, otherwise," she leaned in closer, so that only he could hear.

"I might tell Erza that you were doing naughty things to her in your dream." She whispered in that sickly sweet voice.

"W-wait! You got it all wrong! I was-" Natsu was starting to explain but Mira took notice of their visitors.

"It looks like you have visitors, Natsu." She declared in the voice of cute, Beautiful Mira, not Evil, sexy Mira. Natsu wasn't entirely convinced though.

"Naaaatsuuuu! Your alive!" A blue fur ball nearly knocked the air off Natsu's lungs. Happy was crying comically, and bits of snot were spilling over Natsu.

"I thought you were dead! Lucy told me that you were on your way Heav-" He wailed, but Lucy cut him off.

"Shut it cat! I was kidding, Natsu. Sort of, hehehe." Lucy felt her sweat drip from the challenging glare which Natsu shot her. After all, he had just become an S-class wizard; Lucy was right in being scared. She cautiously went over to congratulate him. They were interrupted by Gray.

"Hey Flamebrain! I want a rematch! You cheated, Happy got in our fight!" He proclaimed, a thin layer of freezing vapor gathering in his hands.

"I didn't cheat, you perv! Happy's my partner, and besides, you would've been beaten shitless anyway! You were lucky Happy hit you instead, cause I would've given you an even more painful pummeling." Natsu bragged, Happy nodding in approval.

"Why you little-" Gray was smacked on the head, a visible bump growing immediately after. He looked at the attacker, and froze.

"Why are you starting a fight, Gray?!" Erza asked menacingly.

"You get what you deserve, perv!" Natsu laughed, but Erza glared daggers at him, effectively shutting him up.

When he saw her, he faltered. He remembered his dreams, and blushed. Beside him, Mira was coughing on her hand in a rather suspicious manner.

"And you, Natsu- you know better than to answer an unworthy challenge! You need rest." She commanded. Happy got down and went over to Lucy as Erza walked closer. Natsu started fidgeting in his bed.

"U-uh, y-yeah! I-I'll do that, Erza!" He gave a salute, as he froze like a statue. Erza placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm just glad you're alright. I was worried." Natsu smiled at her concern.

He did not expect Erza to hug him to death.

Natsu struggled as his face met her large breasts, the passage of air which should've let him breathe was completely blocked by her naughty pillows. Mira covered her mouth, caught off guard by the show of affection. Lucy, Gray and Happy shrieked, as they watched Natsu go limp under the Titania's hold.

"Don't do something so careless next time, got it?" She looked him over, the sight of an unconscious Natsu meeting her.

"Listen to me when I'm speaking, dammit!" She shook the Dragonslayer, and slapped him with her right hand. Natsu was still dazed, and she slapped him again with a backhand.

There was no effect. Annoyed, she pulled her fist back, but luckily, Lucy and Gray stopped her.

"O-okay. I think he's had enough. C-come on, Erza, we need to get ready for the party." Gray held her back with Lucy's help.

"H-hahaha, y-you're right. We don't need him dying again, so we should go now, Erza. Mira, take care of Natsu, will you?" She gestured to the barmaid, who smiled and nodded her head. Together, they dragged a thrashing Erza away from the room.

"Happy, let's go." Lucy called. Happy looked from Lucy, then to Natsu, and then to an enraged Erza. He gulped, and flew off.

"See you later Natsu, Mira! Hey Lucy, wait for me!" He raced towards the trio.

"Uhhh.F-food. Hmmm." Natsu muttered, his mouth drooling, as Mira helped him back to his bed. She continued replacing his bandages, and after she was done, she slid the blankets back to cover the Dragonslayer.

She hummed a tune, caressing his pink hair as he slept soundly, this time, his mind devoid of dreams.

* * *

"Intense fight, wasn't it?" Macao asked Wakaba, a half filled mug in his hands. He raised the mug towards his lips, and swallowed the remaining alcohol in one go. Wakaba took off his pipe, and did the same thing. He wiped the remaining liquid off his mouth.

"Best I've seen, if you ask me." He casually replied, grinning. Behind them, Bisca and Alzack were chatting happily, their daughter, Asuka playing with her dad's black hair. Romeo walked over to the two men, ecstatic over the news.

"Whoaaa! Natsu-nii actually did it! Man, I can't wait until I become S-class too." He shouted at the top of his lungs, gaining the attention of several celebrating members.

"Hmm, is that right? You have a long way to go if you want to be like Natsu, Romeo." His father gestured.

"Yeah. Like eating Etherion for a start." Jet called over from his table. Romeo turned to look at him.

"And also, don't forget Natsu's uncanny ability to pick up cute girls. That's a pre-requirement to being a strong mage. Heck, even Erza seems able to magnetize girls despite being a girl herself." Bixlow added. He wasn't wearing a headgear to cover his face, which was rare, but given the occasion, wasn't out-of-place. It was quite unusual too for him to sit beside members who were not from his team, but Romeo disregarded the thought. Droy was stuffing his face while Levy was reading a book without a cover, blood gushing out of her nose. (the book was obviously ero.)

Suddenly, Bixlow closed his mouth shut, tongue and everything, and he never did it except on very special occasions. The young fire mage saw Erza glaring in the corner of his eyes. He released a sigh, and started walking over to their group. Erza, on the other hand, continued eating her strawberry cake after the exchange.

Fairy Tail was celebrating the victory of Natsu Dragneel. Banners littered the walls here and there, and people were shouting and cheering everywhere. An array of extravagant meals was laid in a large table at the center of the room, and it seems that every member of the guild, save for Gildartz, was present and celebrating, one way or another.

Amidst the festivities and merry–making, Erza couldn't shake off the feeling that something important was missing. In front of her sat Lucy and Gray, who were talking about the fights in the S-class exams. Charle, Happy and Pantherlily did their own group chat, and Wendy, who sat beside her, was sipping green tea in silence. What the hell was out of picture?

Loud music and noises erupting from everywhere? Check.

Fantastic food, courtesy of the Strauss sisters? Check.

A naked Gray sitting in her table, trying to get away from a love-sick Juvia? Double check.

Rowdy fights which always caused some kind of commotion?

She looked around, waiting for someone to start the guild brawls. Erza saw Elfman arm wrestling with Gajeel, but it was entirely friendly, if you counted three destroyed tables, several crushed glasses, and maybe even broken finger bones as such.

She mentally slapped herself. Of course something was missing.

Where the hell was Natsu?

He was supposed to hang out with them, having been fully healed. She searched around for a patch of pink, spiky hair, but found none in the vicinity. Without him, guild fights wouldn't begin. The hero of the day was nowhere in sight, and apparently was missing his own victory party.

She shook her head, and downed another plate of cake. She remembered her times with her team, the many battles they had fought together, and the victories they had amassed. She smiled as she thought of the obliviousness of her fellow Fairy Tail wizards, not having realized that the iconic brawls weren't happening due to a missing member.

Mira came over, carrying another slice of shortcake.

"Where's Natsu?" Erza asked, her fork ready for action.

"He's talking with the master. Something about what happened during our, you know, fight." She replied in a hushed tone.

Only a few members knew of the event which had happened in the final battle. Counting herself, the secret was kept between five people-Laxus, Mira, Master Makarov and Natsu himself. The viewing lacrimas had been shut down over the course of the battle, only coming back after Natsu had delivered the finishing blow to Laxus. Not even the other participants had been given information about the fight.

She shuddered as she remembered those crimson flames, and recalled his eyes, which were stained by the color of blood. Erza had questions she wanted answered.

She planned to wait after the master was done with Natsu, before she would interrogate him. Her plan was shattered when she saw Makarov sitting on a bar stool, casually sipping his favorite thousand-year old wine while talking to a few members.

"Eh? Natsu and I were done talking about an hour ago." He replied red-faced, due to the alcohol he had consumed, when Erza asked him for Natsu's whereabouts.

"What?!" She yelled, stalling the celebration. She walked back towards her table, keen on keeping the information with her team. Gray, Lucy, Wendy and the three Exceeds were looking at her with inquisitive faces.

"Guys, Natsu is missing. Again." She finally mentioned, recalling his disappearance from another celebration which had occurred at Mercurius.

* * *

Natsu was lying on a clean patch of grass, on a slope near a riverbank. Above him was the canopy of one of the many Rainbow Sakura trees which only grew in Magnolia. He was staring intently at the clear blue sky, lost in a million thoughts. The sun was high up, but its heat failed to hit him-not that it would hurt, due to the shade which the tree offered. He breathed in the afternoon breeze, and felt the fresh air course through him.

"What should I do now?" He asked himself, recalling the brown haired girl in his dreams.

"_**in somnis veritas."**_ He remembered, but was still confused as to how he could understand the foreign language. When he went to talk to the master, he couldn't speak the words properly, but he understood their meaning. Another thing to add to his shitty list of weirdness.

He pondered on his conversation with gramps, but a voice broke him from his musings.

"Here you are." A feminine voice muttered. He felt the grass beside him shifting, as a figure sat down.

Great. The person he wanted to avoid most came to get him, and it had nothing to do with that death hug which completely incapacitated him.

"What the hell are you doing, sulking around while we're celebrating?" He heard Erza say, the grass shifting once more. She sat closer to him, not entirely cautious of the distance between them.

"I just need some time alone, Erza." He stated, looking to his side. He found her smiling at him, making him remember of his dreams again.

"Well, that's great! It's been a while since we had some time alone, and I have a lot of questions for you." She replied. Natsu sat up, his shoulders slumped, and his eyes fixed on the flowing river.

Erza took in his features. Over the course of the years, Natsu had grown up as a fine young man. His lean, muscular build beneath the bandages which covered his wounds was accentuated by the fitting black shirt which he had on. He was still wearing that white, scaly scarf, which covered a large scar on his neck. Erza had never known where he got such a wound, and she had never dared herself to ask him. His spiky, pink hair had grown a bit smoother over the years, but it was still his most distinguishing trait. The brooding look which he had now showed his rebellious nature, which always landed him trouble. His childish face had grown sharp features, and he was no longer "cute" Natsu, but "handsome" Natsu. His black eyes held warmth in them, but the part of him she liked the most was missing.

It was his smile, the confident smirk which always managed to lift up her troubles. It held joy within, and radiated hope, especially when things were going down. She loved Natsu's smile.

_"Love."_ She thought. A thousand thoughts erupted in her mind. She shook them away, remembering her purpose. Natsu was looking at her, piqued with curiosity. She blushed as she saw the mature look he was showing her. It was very un-Natsu like.

"Natsu, what happened back then, do you remember?" She asked hesitantly. Natsu's shoulders sagged as he frowned slightly. He focused his eyes on the ground.

"I dunno. Even I don't understand the gist of it. I-I can't tell you right now, Erza, but maybe someday-" He cut off the thought. He couldn't tell her about the dark visions he had seen; of the evil doppelganger which had murdered countless people, and the shadowy past he had inherited. Most of all, he was afraid of sharing his dreams of a woman who liked just like her, killed by his own hands, fearing that she too might disappear.

"_What would she say if I told her I liked the girl, a girl who looked just like her?"_ He asked himself.

He shook his head, but Erza pressed on. She grabbed his hand, shocking Natsu.

"Please, tell me! I want to help, Natsu. I'm here for you now, you know that, right?" A light blush tinged her pale cheeks. He breathed in, trying to regain his cool.

"I'm sorry, I just can't." He finished. There were no jokes, no stupid lines this time around. It was a clear answer, and Erza didn't like it.

"I thought you trusted me, Natsu? Just what am I to you?" She yelled angrily. She couldn't believe this guy! The man who had saved her time and time again, offering his life to protect hers, and yet he couldn't even tell her what was wrong? She wanted to punch him for his stupidity!

Natsu pondered on her words, choosing what to say. Erza was still grabbing his hand, offering no chance of escape. He couldn't dodge the question, so he answered in a straight face, remembering the girl in his dreams. If that girl was in any way like Erza, then his answer was simple.

"What are you to me?" He began. Erza stopped talking as she listened.

"Erza, I've known you the longest. I've fought my hardest battles with you at my side. You are a precious ally to me." Was that it? Did their relationship only stretch out to that extent?

"You taught me what I lacked. I was brash, you were calm. I was stupid, you were smart. You covered my weaknesses, and you strengthened me with your spirit. Erza, you are a person I respect." He continued. The way Natsu spoke those words with seriousness and sincerity completely caught her off guard. She opened her mouth to speak, but he wasn't done.

"Trust? Of course I trust you! Didn't I say so before? I trust you with my back, so trust me with yours. Though there are secrets I cannot share with you, as to there are secrets even you cannot tell me, don't misunderstand. I trust you with my life. The bond we share is unbreakable; after all, you are my nakama. My friend." She was surprised as to how completely mature Natsu was sounding now, and then he spoke his final statement, which made her heart skip.

"And just recently I have realized something. I haven't trusted a person as much I trusted you. Of all the people who were close to me, only you have been there to see me at my weakest, at my hardest battles. Though you are formidable, I'd go to great lengths to save you, and I would never give this task to anyone else! Erza-" He looked her in the eyes, remembering Eara, the girl from his dream, and the likeness they shared. Apart from their looks, they differed: Eara was gentle, while Erza had a bit of a temper, but they were the same.

"Erza, I love you." He finished. Erza saw that his eyes held no deception, no deceit.

Silence followed. How did it come to this? Erza didn't know what to do. She aimed the question at herself. What was Natsu to her?

Sure, she trusted him. All of the things which he had said were the same in Erza's point of view. But-

She saw him in her mind's eye. His untidy blue hair, and that mysterious red tattoo over his right eye. Erza's childhood crush, and even now, the person she admired.

Jella Fernandez.

Natsu saw her struggling, trying to form words. She opened her mouth to speak, but Natsu placed a hand over her lips to stop her.

"It's okay. I just wanted you to hear what you were to me. I've answered that question, haven't I? It's the only thing I can answer now." He proclaimed with a straight face. Erza stopped struggling. She breathed in, and chose her next words.

"I-I'm sorry Natsu, but I cannot answer your feelings right now, however-" She wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck, and closed in. Their lips met.

"_It's warm, and soft."_ Natsu thought, all other thoughts pushed out of his mind.

It was rather quick, but it was the best thing to an answer she could give. She had been saving her first kiss for the person she'd marry, preserved due to Jellal's hesitation, but Natsu deserved that much, and judging from his reaction, it was probably his first time too.

She pulled away, her arms now wrapped on her knees. She placed her head on Natsu's shoulder, savoring the warmth he gave off. Natsu was still dumbfounded by the gesture. What the hell did it all mean?

"Know this. You are an important person to me." She stated.

The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon staring at the clear river. No words were spoken, their hands still tied together as the silence erased the unease of the situation. Soon, the skies started darkening. The blue, cloudless canvas above was slowly being replaced with a darker one, and stars started twinkling in the distance. It was not until their other guild members found them that they broke off from each other, and walked back home with the rest, closer than before.

Little did they know that fate had stored a tragic story for both of them. Sooner than they thought, their bond would be put to the test.

* * *

_**A week later**_

"You're doing solo missions now, Natsu?" A cloaked figure asked. Patches of unkempt blue hair were hidden by his dark hood, and the red tattoo over his right eye sparkled for a brief moment. Walking beside him was another person wearing the same cloak, but a bit shorter compared to him.

"Yeah. Didn't expect to meet you guys here though, of all places." Natsu Dragneel gestured towards the surrounding forest. He was unusually alone, carrying his pack with a comforter strapped at the top, as if he were mountain climbing. Even Happy, his partner, was nowhere to be seen. The three continued walking, their destination nearly in sight.

"I heard you got promoted, Natsu-san. Is that the reason why you're alone, doing an S-class mission? Pretty brave if you ask me." His other pink-haired companion asked. Natsu took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it over to the girl. She skimmed through the text, her face dropping.

"Is this supposed to be an S-class quest? Are you kidding me?" She passed the paper towards her other companion, who read it aloud.

"Find the elusive Ragout Rabbit hiding in Mt. Hakobe's forest area. Beware: the forest is inhabited with Winter Wyverns. Reward-1,000,000 Jewels and any leftover rabbit meat." He returned the note to the Fire Dragonslayer, who merely shrugged.

"The client said that Ragout Rabbit meat was an S-class cooking ingredient, and supposedly only five had ever been found in Fiore. The Wyverns were pretty easy to beat, and the only hard part was finding the rabbit itself, which took me a couple of hours to do." He folded the paper and placed it back in his pocket. He took a quick look at his two acquaintances, and frowned.

"You haven't found her yet, have you?" He asked. Both figures stopped walking, and so did he. The cloaked pinkette started crying all of a sudden, her sobs echoing throughout the forest.

"Meredy, please lighten up, or we'll be found out." The taller one commented, searching for eavesdroppers in the vicinity.

"B-but, Jellal- What if Ul's in trouble? We haven't heard from her since the Daimatou Enbu! I'm worried." Natsu put a hand on her head. Because of the seven year gap which had occurred, both of them were physically the same age now, but Natsu still had an advantage in height.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm pretty sure she's doing some important stuff, like spying, cross-dressing, or spying while cross-dressing and stuff. She wouldn't have left if she knew she couldn't take care of herself. That's part of the reason why I'm alone in this mission right now, cause my team believes that I can come home in one piece. What about you, you trust Ultear, right?" He flashed his trademark grin and patted her head. Meredy dried her tears, and looked towards the other direction, blushing from the contact.

"O-of course I trust Ultear! And don't treat me like a child! I'm nineteen, dammit!" She started walking away at a faster pace, leaving the two gentlemen alone.

"Thanks, Natsu. She's been like that ever since Ultear disappeared." Jellal resumed his pace, gesturing for Natsu to follow.

"You know, I can't put my finger on it, but something about you has changed, however-" Natsu cut him off.

"Yeah, but don't think I've completely forgiven you, Jellal. I still remember what you did to Erza." Natsu muttered darkly. Jellal opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it momentarily, and thought about the best thing to say back. He showed a small smile, and rephrased his sentence, a bit of sorrow in his tone.

"Of, course. Even I can't forgive myself for my crimes, but-" He was cut off again.

"Aww, man! Stop being so gloomy, will you! I swear I'm gonna shove my boot in your ass if you pull an emo speech again." Natsu walked at a faster pace, his hands beside his head.

"You know, I think Erza's not gonna forgive me either if I keep treating you like an enemy, so I guess I'll let it slide for a while, you with me?" In front of them, Meredy was waving madly, pointing at a nearby town.

"It's Magnolia! I can't believe we got here fast." She shouted.

"I told you I knew a shortcut, didn't I?" Natsu called back. He glanced towards the blue haired mage, his face completely unreadable.

"Come on. You wanted to discuss something with gramps, right?" Jellal muttered something under his breath, but Natsu heard it with his sharp hearing.

"_Thanks." _

"No problem, buddy." He replied.

* * *

"NATSU! Why the hell did you ditch us, huh?!" Lucy grabbed Natsu's scarf, trying her best to give a threatening glare, which was a bit effective. Natsu was sweating a lot, but he wasn't overall scared, yet. Happy was hiding behind Lisanna.

"Hey Luce." He managed.

"Lucy, you're doing it wrong. Here, let me have a go." Lucy moved over and saw Natsu go limp. Erza stepped up and grabbed his scarf. Natsu's mouth went dry.

"**NATSU! Why the hell did you ditch us, huh?! Think you're so tough, now that you're S-class?! You feelin' lucky, punk?!" **The merely added a few words to Lucy's statement, but the way she said it completely frightened Natsu. He was scared shitless, as he tried to come up with a reasonable excuse to save his behind from a beating. Gray was snickering beside Elfman, saying something like "they've been practicing that while he was gone." as he shoved another spoonful of vanilla ice cream in his mouth.

"Ha-hah, E-Erza. W-w-ell, I-I t-thought I t-told y-you g-guys that I'm s-solo-ing t-this one, c-cause i-it's p-pretty easy any-anyway." He stuttered. Erza gave him one of those death glares which promised nothing but absolute pain afterwards.

"Do-don't get the w-wrong i-idea! I-I'm s-sharing my l-l-loot, a-alright? J-just let me g-go, p-please?" He pleaded.

"What loot?" She asked, still on guard. Natsu tried to relax and spoke clearer.

"Well, you ever heard of Ragout Rabbit Meat? I've got some uncooked ones left." The whole guild went quiet at his statement.

"Did he say Ragout Rabbit?" someone whispered.

"Like, that S-class ingredient? I heard it tastes like heaven." A person answered back.

"Yoohoo, Natsuuu… Mind if I have some?" Droy called over.

"No way, Salamander's sharing it with me!" Gajeel put on his friendliest smile, ever, complete with a demonic glare and sharp, razor-edged teeth.

The sound of shattered glass and broken chairs erupted.

Everybody was fighting over who was getting a share of the rabbit meat. The small squabble inevitably turned into a full-scale guild brawl, until the master himself shouted.

"**STOP IT, YOU IDIOTS!"** Everybody froze as they stared at his gigantic form, which grew smaller, until he was back in his regular size.

"Obviously, Natsu's giving it to me. Or else, I'm demoting him." He laughed maniacally, while the other's continued their fight.

"Shut up for a minute, dammit!" Titania's voice shook the entire building, stopping the chaos once again. She looked back at Natsu, who gulped.

"I'll let you guys have a bite, as an apology then." Natsu stated.

"No, you're giving the four of us an equal share. You owe as that much" She gestured to Lucy, Gray, Wendy and herself, not counting Happy, who preferred fish.

"And I'm cooking it." Erza said firmly. Gray and Lucy looked at each other in doubt. Knowing her bad cooking habits, Natsu pulled the courage to decline her offer.

"No." He said flatly. The redhead delivered a swift uppercut to the Dragonslayer, who landed on a nearby table, breaking it in half.

"W-what he means is, y-you need not do the hard work by yourself Erza. Mira and Lisanna can help, right Natsu?" Lucy looked over to the Strauss sisters, frantically asking for help.

Mira and Lisanna came over to check the meat out as a beat-up Natsu took it out from his pack.

"How big was this rabbit, Natsu?" Mira asked curiously. Natsu measured two feet using his hands, his face scrunched up.

"This big, times twenty- no wait, twenty-two." He replied with an idiotic grin.

"It's only good for ten people. Who gets to eat it with us?" The younger Strauss explained.

"Us?" Natsu asked. Lisanna pinched an ear and pulled it up.

"Yes, Us. Mira-nee and I are cooking it, so obviously we're eating with you." She said with finality.

"Ouch, you're misunderstanding, Lisanna." Lisanna let go, and put her arms across her chest. Natsu rubbed the sore part, and noticed the eerie silence of the rest of the guild, who were giving him hopeful gazes. He cried in exasperation.

"Fine! I guess Gramps can come. There, happy?" Upon hearing this, Makarov danced around, making fun of the rest. A lot of his friends were giving him murderous glares.

"Hey, idiot. We're two heads short. Don't you know how to count?" Gray muttered mockingly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?! I counted right! She said ten, didn't she?" Natsu retorted.

"Well, yeah. But look- You, me, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Lisanna, Mira and Gramps. It only adds up to eight! Are you planning on keeping the rest of the meat?!" The rest of the guild hurled insults and complaints at the fire mage, who merely grinned.

"Of course not. I've got two guests waiting for me outside." Gray's mouth dropped to the floor.

* * *

"Yeeaahh! I'm going back to that forest to get more rabbit meat!" Natsu had his right arm raised, his belly slightly bloated from the meal he had consumed. Lucy, Wendy and Gray raised their fists in approval.

He was sitting in a clearing within the forest of Magnolia, eating rabbit stew. Happy had deliberately protested against eating the rabbit.

"Y-you ate him?! I can't believe you guys! Rabbits are close relatives of cats, you know!" He wailed after the ten had finished their dish, with Lisanna comforting the blue feline. His female counterpart shook her head after hearing the statement.

"Seriously, Happy? The only thing common between you is the fact that you have fur! That rabbit's far tastier than you, and besides, you're an Exceed, not a cat, for crying out loud." Lucy cried in exasperation, as she placed her bowl aside and proceeded to wipe the excess soup off her mouth.

"Natsu, Lucy wants to eat me!" Happy cried stupidly.

"If you shut up, I'm giving you a present." She offered. The celestial mage conjured a fish from God knows where, and handed it to the cat. The blue Exceed's eyes had a glint for a split second, but it disappeared, as if he realized something.

"You're just trying to fatten me up before you eat me Lucy! Natsuuu!" He called.

"Don't pick on him, Lucy. Happy's not edible, otherwise, I'd have eaten him too." Happy shivered in terror after hearing him. Erza's gauntlet clad hand sailed towards the back of Natsu's head, but the younger Strauss had reached him first.

"Ow. Watch'a doing?!" the Dragonslayer rubbed the sore spot as Gray laughed his ass off. Lisanna shot the ice mage a murderous glare to shut him up.

"Lisanna, you're getting pretty violent nowadays, you know? Did Mira brainwash you or something?" The ice mage winced as he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him and saw the barmaid smiling.

"Do you wanna lose an arm, Gray?" She asked sweetly.

"Ahem." One of the cloaked figures coughed on his hand to gain their attention. His female companion was giggling from amusement.

"As much as I want you to continue with your funny antics, I'm afraid we didn't come here to be amused or fed properly. We have urgent matters to discuss with the Master." Jellal muttered. Meredy elbowed him from the side.

"And yes, the stew was delicious." He managed, glancing at his partner.

"Is it about Ultear?! Did you finally find her?!" Gray asked fiercely, scaring the birds in the clearing. The two figures looked at each other, and the younger one spoke first.

"No, we haven't." Meredy whispered, tears threatening to fall once again.

"We came to discuss about Tartarus. Privately, if you would mind." He gestured to the others. Makarov cleared his throat and spoke.

"You guys clean the area and take the dishes back to the guild. Mira, keep an eye on them. Natsu, Erza, stay here and guard the clearing from any eavesdroppers." He commanded.

"What?! We have as much right to stay here gramps! I understand why Erza stays, but what about Natsu?" He asked. Natsu kept his calm, which surprised everyone.

"Gray, I know that you want to stay, but you can't. Besides, Natsu is an S-class wizard now. He holds as much authority as Erza does." Natsu smirked.

"Hey, don't worry perv. If you'll act nice, I might tell you guys what I hear." He declared, which earned him a kick from the master. He managed to hold the pain in, and stopped himself from squealing.

"Or not. Geez, don't worry too much. You'll find out what the conversation is about sooner or later." He said finally. Lucy, Wendy, Lisanna and Mira gave him a smile.

"Fine. Don't think you're so much better now that you're an Elite, you idiot." Gray muttered. The six mages started walking away with the two Exceeds.

"Okay, talk." Makarov Dreyar requested.

* * *

"**Fire Dragon's Flickering Flame!"**

**FWOOSH!**

A large torrent of fire erupted in the middle of a nearby clearing. After it had dispersed, Natsu Dragneel could be seen standing in the once burning area.

"AAARGH! What the hell?! Work dammit!"A frustrated Salamander cried. Once more, fire covered his body, and another burst of blazing fire was released, burning the nearby vegetation.

"**Fire Dragon's Flickering Flame!" **He called at the top of his voice.

He felt it this time: his body turning into flames itself, and moving as he willed it, however, his coat of fire died out as soon as it started.

Natsu sat down to think.

Ever since his fight with Laxus, he had been trying his best to master this technique. During the time he had released his **Second Origin**, his body had been taken over by something, and a few days after, he had vaguely started to see what had happened.

In the fight, his doppelganger had been using a nifty move, very similar to Laxus' fast paced speed-slash-teleportation magic. Of course, he had been able to perform the same move, albeit with help from Lightning-Flame mode. However, as stated by Erza, and Laxus himself, the technique had flaws, like being attracted to a conductor, limiting the movement of the caster if ever metals littered the area.

…Natsu didn't understand that, after all, he's an idiot, isn't he? Simply put, using Laxus' technique was dangerous.

Gramps had told him to develop the high speed technique, but it was impossible. He couldn't do it as long as he stayed as regular Natsu. He had been thinking of using **Second Origin** again, but he couldn't risk the chances of his body going berserk again. His only choice was to remember if ever the move was used in his dreams again.

By the way, his nightmares kept on repeating every night. Natsu always woke up in cold sweat, terrified of the visions. He kept seeing people die- people killed by someone who looked just like him. The same lines also kept on repeating, the lines about a prophecy, or something of the sort. The only person he had revealed this to was the guild master, Makarov Dreyar. Even though the elder seemed to believe his far-fetched claims, he was still troubled by the things he would have to do. Gramps had helped him prepare, but it seems the rest of his problems needed to be solved on his own.

A nearby bush was rustling. The sound brought him out of his thoughts, and he stood up ready for an attack. He caught the scent of person behind it, and he relaxed.

Erza came out and went into the clearing with a worried look.

"I saw fire coming from here. What happened?" She asked, surveying the destruction. Natsu put up his hands in surrender and confessed.

"I was practicing my new move…" He stated casually. The redhead narrowed her eyes.

"New move?" She inquired. Natsu gulped.

"Yeah, wanna see it? It still doesn't work, though." He stood up from his sitting position, and summoned flames to surround him. The yellowish-orange fire engulfed him from head to toe. Natsu shouted.

"**Fire Dragon's Flickering Flame!" **Erza stared, wide eyed, at the scene before her.

For a very short moment, Natsu's body vanished-only the fire which surrounded him remained, then he reappeared again, and the flames were extinguished. She remembered the time Natsu had lost control of his body, and immediately recognized the technique.

It was the move which turned the battle around. His means of moving became very unpredictable, and somehow, the conscious Natsu had replicated it.

She was afraid he might go out of control again, but was relieved to see a grinning Natsu looking at her. Man, this boy really is amazing.

"I was supposed to move my body next to you, but I still haven't figured that part yet. Hahaha, I suck." He scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

"No. I'm impressed. How long have you been practicing that?" She asked.

"I started a few days ago. Normally, I would've mastered this move." He started walking, but Erza gestured for him to stop moving. She was looking at his feet.

"Natsu, look below you." He did. Under his feet was a black, burnt part of the ground.

"What is it?" He tried to look closer, and his eyes caught something. There was a thin, burnt part coming from the black patch of grass. He traced it, and his heart leaped.

A good few centimeters away from where he had been standing was another black patch of ground. This could only mean something.

"I moved! I don't care how small the distance is, but I moved!" He shouted at the top of his voice, scaring some nearby birds. He ran towards the armor mage, and lifted her to the air.

"Hahaha, man, I'm so happy Erza." He grinned, facing the airborne mage, who he held up. Erza gave him a smile of her own.

"Yes. I am too. You can put me down now." She added sternly, and Natsu complied.

A few rustling leaves broke their celebration. Makarov Dreyar, Jellal Fernandez and Meredy stepped out of the bushes.

"So, you were here." Jellal spoke. He looked at the two mages; Natsu still had his hands on Erza's side, and both had smiles on their faces. His smiling face frowned slightly, but went unnoticed by everyone.

"We're done talking. I will reveal the contents of the meeting with the other S-class mages. Let us go." He gestured.

"Excuse me, master, Natsu, but can I have a moment with Erza?" The blue haired man asked. Erza raised her brows. The elder mage waved his hand.

"Take all the time you need. Then, I'm going on ahead." Jellal bowed, as master Makarov vacated the area.

"Natsu, stay here and wait for me." Erza commanded. Natsu obviously had to comply, so he did a salute with an "Aye!".

"Meredy, you stay as well. Natsu, could you baby sit her for a while?" He asked jokingly, prompting Meredy to kick him in the shin.

"Ouch, kidding." He nodded to each of them, before leading the Titania away. Natsu started walking in the opposite direction.

"H-Hey! Where you going, Natsu-san?" Meredy caught up. Natsu led her towards a nearby tree, which had a good amount of shade underneath. He sat on the shady ground, and gestured for the female pinkett to do the same.

"So, what should we do to kill time?" the Dragonslayer asked.

* * *

**SLAM!**

The resounding crash of something hitting the ground shook the entire forest.

"It's 16 to 17 now. One more to go, and we're tied!" Meredy cried enthusiastically. Natsu sighed.

"It's bad to cheat, Meredy." Natsu told her. Meredy smirked.

"I'm not cheating! You told me it was okay to use magic, didn't you? Besides, you heated your hand to make me lose my grip a minute ago! This is payback!" The female pinkette replied.

The two spent time arm wrestling. The last round was won by Meredy, who used her **Maguilty Sense **to link the both of them, and let her "weak, girlish side" surface so that it would be felt by the Dragonslayer, who lost the strength on his arms.

"Do we seriously have nothing better to do?" Meredy let go of Natsu's hand, and placed it on her forehead.

"Hey, it's either this or tag. You said you were tired of moving your feet, so here we are…" Natsu crossed his arms. Both games were his idea.

"Yes, but, can't we talk about stuff instead? It's a good way to pass time." Meredy suggested. Natsu rolled his eyes.

"No fucking way! The only thing girl's like to talk about are "shopping" and "dating"… Trust me, Lucy talks about that all the time, even though she's got no boyfriend." He covered his hand to hide his laughter, due to the last statement.

"Oh, we also talk about feelings, Natsu-san. For example, do you have someone you like?" Meredy asked deviously, expecting a stupid answer from the Salamander. She was shocked at his reaction.

"_What?! He blushed!" _Yes, Natsu was blushing.

"Who is it! Teeeell Meeee!" The scheming female pleaded. Natsu stood up, hasty to stay off from topic.

"M-Man, they're taking long! Let's go and check if they're still talking. Come on, maybe they ditched us." Natsu started walking, but Meredy was trying to pull him back. Natsu continued towards his destination, with Meredy in tow.

"Nooooo! I don't wanna! Tell Meeeee, Natsu-saaaan." She whined.

They continued like this for a good ten minutes. Dragging a struggling brat really was difficult.

Finally, Natsu caught the scent of both mages. It was rather quiet, but Natsu pushed his way past the bushes which obstructed him.

When he stepped out, his entire body froze.

Standing in front of him, was Jellal—

Erza was wrapped by his arms, her eyes closed, and her face pointed towards his. Jellal was closing in, and Natsu knew what was going to happen next. Just as their lips were close to meeting, Meredy caught up.

"Naaatsuuuu-saaan! Teeeeelll meeeee!" She cried for the umpteenth time, before she too stopped, and looked.

The intimate mages stared at the invading wizards, and they too froze. Erza had her gaze on the pink haired male, and her mouth dropped into a small frown.

Jellal, on the other hand, had a very interesting reaction.

"Ah. S-sorry for barging in… Let's go, Natsu-san." The youngest mage pulled Natsu's unmoving hand, but Jellal had rushed towards them with unrivaled speed, and-

He picked Meredy, bridal-style, and fled the scene as fast as he could. His face was red from embarrassment, and he had a wild look on his face. Soon after, the two members of Crime Sorciere were gone, just like that.

Natsu would've found the scene funny, if only his heart wasn't hurting.

He turned back, his head dropping, and started to walk away, leaving the redhead behind.

"Sorry for interrupting…" He muttered under his breath.

Erza stood there, unable to move. It took Erza a few minutes to grasp what had happened.

She panicked.

"_Was he jealous?" _She remembered back then, when he had confessed to her, and slapped herself. Of course he was. Erza did say she couldn't give an answer to his feeling immediately, and now, she had recklessly showed Natsu the reason for that.

"W-wait, Natsu!" She ran after him, her thinking resumed.

But, he was nowhere in sight. She looked around, and saw something which caught her eyes.

Towards her left, facing in the direction of the guild, was a newly created path, which was made by fire. Every single tree and shrub which should've covered that road was burned away, by someone.

She rushed towards the guild.

* * *

"Mira, have you seen Natsu?!" Erza asked, breathless, as soon as she reached the bar. Mirajane, who had been wiping mugs, looked at her with a worried expression.

"Is something wrong? Natsu came here a few minutes ago, and picked up another S-class request. He left after that. Did something happen?" The barmaid asked. Erza bit her lip.

"When exactly is he leaving for the job?" She asked again. The silver haired female took a book paper from her drawer, and read its contents.

"The log book says he's leaving tomorrow noon. He isn't taking anybody with him." Mira returned the book.

"Again?! That idiot! Thanks Mirajane…" Erza ran, and continued her search.

"_He has to be there…" _She turned towards the direction of the river.

As soon as she saw the Sakura tree, the redhead saw Natsu walking towards the direction of his house. He seemed to not have noticed her.

"Wait!" Erza grabbed his arm. Natsu didn't move.

"I-I, n-no, it's like this-" The redhead stuttered as she tried to explain, but the pinkette merely looked up and sighed.

"Hey, it's cool." Erza stopped talking. Natsu was surprisingly calm.

"But-" Natsu turned around, and Erza saw that he, had been crying. The Dragonslayer wiped away his tears, and showed her a sad smile.

"If you're worried, then stop worrying. I'm fine." He tried to pull away his arm, but her grip was strong.

"I love you, Erza… but that doesn't mean you need to return my feelings… you've given me an answer, and I'm happy that you've decided… now, I don't have to worry about anything anymore." He turned to walk away, the Titania speechless and lost for words at his declaration. But-

**"You still love him, don't you? If that is the case, I'd forsake my love for your happiness."** Erza faltered at that statement, but she still held her ground. She needed to explain it to him! However-

She shrieked in pain as an enormous heat came out from the hand. She immediately let go, and watch him slowly walk away.

Erza had tears in her eyes; seeing a very disenchanted Natsu in front of her made her feel guilty.

"Natsu!" Her voice was firm. He stopped, but didn't turn back.

"That job you took—I-I'm going with you, whether you like it or not!" She declared adamantly as she nursed her hand. The pink haired Dragonslayer resumed his pace, the armored redhead remaining motionless and unmoving until his figure had disappeared.

* * *

The next morning, an enrage shout resounded throughout the guild hall.

"What do you mean he's already left?!" The armored mage asked furiously. That idiot had the nerve to ditch her again?! He was certainly paying for that. The nearby members were shivering in fear.

"Yes. Natsu left early this morning; apparently, he decided to change the mission. It seems nobody except for me was notified." the bubbly barmaid replied kindly.

Erza's fist broke a chair, but Mirajane remained unfazed.

"Besides, you're not listed here, Erza. You of all people should know that it's against the rules for unregistered members to go on a mission with someone." Mira explained, but it didn't appease the anger of Titania.

"What's the matter? You young ones are so lively early in the morning." The master appeared out of nowhere, yawning at his own statement, and looked at Erza with inquisitive eyes. The armored mage hardened her gaze at the smiling Mirajane.

"When is he coming back then?" This time, she controlled her voice, due to the presence of their guild master. The silver haired maiden placed a hand under her chin, and replied.

"He should be back tomorrow. It was a rather easy request, you know? Besides, he's going out with me after the job." Mira smirked deviously. A few members had mouths which were hanging open. Gray, who heard about it, dragged Lucy and spoke with the she-Devil. Happy came flying and landed on a nearby table.

"Natsu left again?" The Exceed inquired, teary eyed. He was sick of being ditched.

"What?! Why is an idiot like Natsu going on a date with you?!" He voiced out what everyone was thinking.

"Well, it's his punishment for messing with me. I'll be Natsu's master for tomorrow, and he'll be carrying the stuff I'll buy like a good servant." Lucy and Gray sweatdropped. The look Mira had now, was scary.

Still, it must be good-going out with a beauty like Mirajane, even if you're only purpose was to carry luggage around.

Erza stormed out off the guild. Apparently, she was in a really bad mood.

"That idiot better come back tomorrow… else…" She muttered before leaving.

However, Natsu didn't come back the next day. The day after the next, team Natsu was lounging at their usual table, until something bad happened.

Charle had a sort of fit, and everyone gathered to see what was happening. When the female Exceed opened her eyes, she was breathless. Wendy rushed over with Happy, who was bringing her water. For a few minutes, Charle couldn't stop shaking.

When she finally calmed down, she spoke in a very terrified tone.

"N-Natsu! H-he's going to die!" She screamed. It was a very bad premonition. Everyone covered their mouths as she recounted the things she had seen.

Natsu meeting the Black Mage Zeref, as if they were expecting each other.

Natsu fighting with Zeref for an unknown reason, but he was badly losing against the dark mage.

The spirit of Death circling above Natsu, until it consumed him completely.

The last thing she saw was a falling Natsu, his body completely lifeless.

That was the only thing Erza needed to hear. She ran towards the doors, but the guild master had blocked the way.

"Master! Move!" She screamed.

"Wait Erza! Don't run around recklessly until we verify the situation." Erza stopped. Makarov sat next to the Exceed, who was still shaking.

"Charle, please tell me, everything you saw in detail." The Exceed complied, and stated everything again.

"-Then, I kept hearing the same lines over and over again. I-I wasn't sure, but I felt as if it was an old prophecy. H-however, I can only remember part of it." The Exceed added. Makarov urged her to say the lines.

"…**I call your name o child of fire…**

…**born by man, raised by dragon**

**you will be feared as you live on…" **She paused, as if trying to recall the next line.

"**..a sacrifice for your sins to be forgiven**

**yet frozen in time,your past will be forgotten **

**break free from your shackles and grow stronger once again…"** The master continued where she had left off. Everyone was shocked.

"M-master, how did you know the next part?" Mira asked, frightened.

"Natsu told me. He had been having nightmares about those lines every night." Everyone gasped at his statement.

"Did you hear more?" The guild master inquired. Charle took a deep breath, and nodded.

"**..Betrayed by the ones you hold dear**

**You will seek the man you most fear **

**Fall by the hand of the mage of extinction**

**Return to the land where you were imprisoned…" **She finished, but she didn't stop shaking. Wendy urged her to drink more water.

"No, it's happening too soon. However, we can't confirm if it really is happening." The elder man was shaking his head. The nervous members were exchanging terrified glances.

"M-master, maybe it's a hoax? Remember, when Charle had that last vision, it took days for it to happen right?" Lucy asked, disbelieving herself. She was dead scared. Erza rushed towards the Exceed, who got scared by the action.

"Where did it happen?! Do you recognize the place?!" Erza asked harshly, Charle had no choice but to answer.

"Y-yes! It's at the edge of Magolia forest, an hour's journey from here…" The guild members heard Gray breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hah. That worried me… Natsu's on a mission right? He doesn't have a reason to go that place… Hahaha!" He laughed, but then froze when he saw Mira, who had started to cry.

"Unless…" Mira held up a piece of paper, and read.

"Exterminate Vulcans at Magnolia Forest… Meeting place- clearing at the forest edge, on top of a cliff..."

So Zeref had manipulated the quest from the start.

Erza lost it. Before everyone knew what had happened, she was already going out of the guild doors in full speed.

"No! Erza, It's too dangerous! Everybody, stop her!" The Master ordered. If Erza joins that fight, he might lose two of his children. The senior members blocked the way, and the others surrounded her in a flash. Erza summoned her swords.

"Let me through! Natsu's in danger!" She furiously ordered while swinging her swords. Some backed away, but the armor mage was still overwhelmed in terms of numbers, and she couldn't hurt her guild mates.

"Erza, be reasonable! We don't even know if Charle's vision is happening at this moment!" The master pleaded.

"I'm not saying that she might be wrong; what I mean is-" At that very instant, the sound of a cannon being fired reverberated in the hall. It was aimed at the members blocking the exit, who obviously scurried away and made a path.

"Erza, go! We'll take it from here." Lucy shouted. Gray had aimed his ice-made cannon at the group. Makarov was furious.

"Gray, Lucy! What the hell are you doing?!" he turned on his Titan mode, a towering being who induced fear.

"Sorry gramps, but we can't take any chances. We don't know if the premonition is false either… I hate to say this, but Natsu needs to come home one way or another." The other members got out of their daze and backed off from the titan.

The guild was divided. There were members who tried to stop Natsu's team from going after him, but there were also some who fought for Natsu's sake. For the first time in history, this guild brawl had become a serious battle between the members of Fairy Tail.

* * *

When Erza got out, she didn't stop running.

Her endurance and speed were trained for this very moment, but when she heard the sounds of battle getting closer, she lost all of her strength.

After going through the forest, dodging trees and rocks, she had reached the clearing at last. Just then, the rain had started falling.

She was too late. Natsu was being overpowered. His body was bruised and tired, and his clothes were in tatters.

An unknown force bound her in place; she could neither move nor speak.

In the end, she couldn't help at all. The battle continued as time passed by. She watched Natsu use his most powerful moves, but the Black Mage endured them all.

"Why don't you try using your **Second Origin**? I want to speak with the other Natsu." Zeref calmly stated while dodging a straight punch aimed at his face.

"I-I can beat you without that guy's help!" Natsu shouted defiantly.

"Do you still not accept your destiny?" The black mage asked. Natsu closed in and delivered a kick to the midsection, which was blocked with a single hand. Before Zeref could act, Natsu used the leverage from his captured foot and twisted his lower body, using his other foot to kick the enemy on the temple.

Zeref pulled back his head in time and let go of the fire mage. Flames were blazing here and there, covering the once green clearing with burnt grass. Natsu was breathing haphazardly.

"_Shit, I'm nearly out of fuel." _He thought. The black mage laughed coldly.

"You're at your limit, Natsu. It's time to release the seal." However, he felt a presence in the area. He looked around, and found a still-frozen Erza. Zeref frowned.

"It seems that we have a visitor" he muttered darkly. Natsu looked at the direction Zeref had been gazing at and his eyes grew large.

"What are you doing here, Erza?!" He shouted. Erza struggled to answer, but she couldn't move.

"I have to end this now." Zeref whispered sadly. With that, he vanished from sight.

Erza struggled to look for him, but she was still paralyzed, rooted on the same spot and position since she had arrived.

Fear crawled up towards her heart. It didn't show on her face, but she was scared.

"No!" Natsu shouted.

Zeref had rematerialized in front of her.

Panic overtook him. Will he reach her in time?

He took notice of a solitary flame flickering between the two; a flame he had caused since he had engaged the black mage. He pictured himself standing between them; at the very same spot the flame was located.

"I'm sorry, but it ends here Natsu." Zeref stated, tears started to fall from his eyes. A swirl of black magic gathered around him. The evil miasma started to suffocate Erza.

Someone shouted in the distance, but her hearing failed her.

"You look just like her, you know? However-" Zeref released a sigh.

"Goodbye, friend of Natsu" he said, as black waves released themselves from his body. She vaguely heard the sound of something ablaze, followed by the echo of something coming towards her.

Erza felt like the time had been completely stopped. She closed her eyes.

She remembered those words.

_"I'd forsake my love for your happiness."_ The guilt weighed heavily in her heart.

Erza waited for death to hit her, but it never came. Instead, warmth spread itself on her, and the heat circled her entire body. A sound similar to slurping could be heard.

And someone gulped, as if he was swallowing something.

She hesitantly opened her eyes.

Time stood still. And there he was, holding her like there was no tomorrow.

Natsu had covered her with his white scarf, which had been turned black. Erza stared intently at his face, and she grabbed hold of those pink locks.

How had he managed to get here so fast?

And how was he able to save her?

She smiled, but it didn't last long. She connected the dots, and instantly, fear came back.

"So you finally had the courage to embrace death, huh Natsu." The dark mage said casually.

"No! Natsu, what did you do?!" She asked, though she knew the answer.

"It seems he ate my Death Magic, and protected you from the excess magic with his scarf." Zeref answered for him.

"Who would've known that he had such a speedy technique to get to you though" he added.

Erza looked back from where Natsu had been standing seconds ago. A trail of fire could be seen on the ground.

"I'm glad I reached you in time" Natsu muttered weakly and smiled.

His skin started to grow paler and his eyes started to dim, the light behind his eyes started to go out.

He grew weaker, and his heart slowed down.

Erza was speechless. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"Please, don't cry. Promise me you won't cry again" he said, still smiling.

"Natsu, no! "she cried aloud.

"Goodbye, Erza. Please, take care of everyone." He whispered.

"Finally, the first part of your prophecy is nearly complete."Zeref declared sadly, yet he was smiling.

He pointed a finger at Erza.

"_**Dormi!"**_Zeref shouted.

Erza felt her consciousness slipping away. She remembered where she stood, at the edge of a cliff.

Natsu, with what was left of his dying strength, pulled her to safety, but he himself fell as he leaned over to save Erza.

As she landed on the hard ground, her strength and sight completely gave up on her.

The last thing she heard were whispers saying "I Love You".

And the last thing she saw, was the image of a falling Natsu, whose eyes were closed,

And whose heart had stopped beating.

It was her last moment with him.

And it was the last time she would ever see his dazzling smile.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

Erza opened her eyes. She realized that she had fallen asleep on the window sill, with both windows still open. Outside, the sun had completely vanished from the horizon, and the chilly evening wind was blowing fiercely, trying to get inside her room. She closed the windows shut, the moon illuminating the vast town which lay before her. Most of the lights from the nearby buildings were put out, the eerie silence of the night shattered only by the continuous chirping of crickets. She looked at her quartz clock, which was situated at a nearby wooden tea table. Its hands told her that it was half past midnight.

The tears stung her eyes from the inside, but she rubbed them off with a cloth which she had conjured from one of her pocket dimensions. She held the cloth in her hands, realizing that it was a black, scaly scarf. The warmth that it offered was gone.

She straightened up from her current position, and requipped into her purple Heart Kreuz pajamas. Erza checked on her tea, taking note if it was still warm. She mentally slapped herself.

"_Of course it's cold, stupid. How many hours do you think it had spent sitting here while you were daydreaming?" _Cried an annoying voice from the back of her head.

Erza went over to her bed, the scarf still in her hands, and crashed face-first into the softness which her pillows offered. As if on cue, the lights turned themselves off. (Wow, automated magic lights. How convenient.)

She twisted and turned, but sleep didn't come easily. The redhead clutched the scarf tightly, yearning for warmth, his warmth. When her nightmares assault her again tonight, she at least wanted him to be with her, alive. It was ironic, considering the nightmares which she had always had him in it; it was the day she had lost him, replaying itself again and again until she couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to forget, but she couldn't. The consequences of her actions throbbed within her heart, like a freshly opened wound, rubbed time and time again with salt.

Erza Scarlet forced her eyes shut as she hugged Natsu's scarf tightly, preparing herself for the terrors that she would once again relive.

"_Natsu."_

* * *

**..3rd ****DAY AFTER NATSU'S DEATH..**

**MAGNOLIA PARK, FRONTING CALDIA CATHEDRAL**

Black, Such a sad color to wear from the start of the day. Yet, here they were, gathered and dressed in black; the color of mourning, the personification of death.

The news spread like wildfire. Many doubted the truth behind the rumors, visited Fairy Tail for confirmation, and came back home, their hearts disheartened. Nobody wanted to believe that he had passed away; after all, he was undefeatable, wasn't he? Why then were they gathered here today, despite the turbulence of the heavy rain? His body was nowhere to be found, so where was the proof that he had really died?

The evidence showed itself in the form of the guild master, Makarov Dreyar, who carried with him a large portrait, which even the oldest members of the guild hadn't known of. He pulled off its covers, showing the audience the proof that they needed. Murmurs broke off, but with one command from the elder, they died away. The portrait had a picture of a gigantic tree, with several blinking dots of different colors, carrying the name of the members.

"As you can see, this frame shows every person carrying the symbol of Fairy Tail. As you all know, once a person dies, the magical power contained within his or her body disappears after a certain time, and this includes markings like guild symbols. Natsu Dragneel's light has disappeared from Fairy Tail's family tree, and I have confirmed this by communing with our first Master's spirit, Mavis Vermillion." He stated hoarsely, tears falling from his eyes.

The large crowd bowed their heads in disappointment and despair. In the center of the park, a large stone statue was erected. It was a carving of a gigantic dragon, with its wings opened in a majestic manner. On his back rode a spiky haired boy, with his scarf billowing in the wind, and a confident grin layered in his face.

It was supposed to be a quick and private ceremony, but the large crowd which spilled from every direction betrayed the thought. Wizards who came from different guilds and towns went to pay their respect to the hero who had saved Fiore.

The members of Fairy Tail wore grim expressions on their faces, and most of them wear obviously crying due to their heartfelt despair. The others who weren't shedding tears had apparently run out of them after crying for three long days. Some members weren't present, namely Laxus, Gajeel, and Gildartz, the latter due to obvious reasons. No one had the guts to contact him and tell him what had happened.

The people parted as a nobly dressed girl walked towards the statue, a crown finishing her look, and a single pink rose clutched tightly in her hand. She was escorted by an armor-clad figure, which carried a black umbrella to protect her from the rain. Princess Hisui gently placed the flower before the dragon, with her escort, Arcadios, who had his eyes closed.

"I never got the chance to say a proper thank you, Natsu-kun. I know this is not the best of times, but-" She paused for a while, and wiped her eyes with a white handkerchief.

"Thank You, for helping me fix my mistakes. And, I-I know I haven't known you for long, but I would have wanted to have a proper conversation with you. I-" She stopped there, lost for words. She walked closer to the statue, and placed a gentle kiss on the exposed cheek of the unmoving figure of the boy, her feet in tiptoes. After that, she walked back solemnly, the mass of people parting again to let the royalty pass. Arcadios placed a hand on the statue, before he too walked away, shielding his liege from the drizzle.

One by one, the people walked up towards the statue, muttering words of thanks and other things, like fight challenges and apologies, before going back. Jura, Toby, Yuka, Sherry and Lyon from Lamia Scale came together, and bowed their heads, their bodies unprotected from the falling downpour. They had worked with Natsu in past, and it would only be fitting for them to be here.

"What I would've given to see you grow to become the strongest, Natsu-dono." The eldest began.

"Whyyy?! Don't die on us, buddy! I haven't even found my sock yet…" Toby wailed.

"Like hell he cares about your sock, Toby." He slapped his partner.

"Sorry bout that, Salamander. You really are strong aren't you? If I ever see you in the other side, I'll show you how strong I've become." He proclaimed. Did this guy have a death wish or something?

Lyon was silent, and Sherry was crying. Her cousin, Chelia, joined the five. She placed a yellow Lotus in front of the figure, and tried to comfort her cousin. The youngest looked towards Jura.

"What was he like?" She asked earnestly.

Jura smiled.

"He was like the sun: Proud, confident, strong and warm." He patted the statue's belly and began walking away with the rest of their group.

"_The sun, huh… Wendy looked up to this person."_ Chelia thought deeply.

"Salamander…" Lyon spoke, before he too left.

Next came the members from Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus, with their respective masters, Bob and Goldmine, in the lead.

"You were always in the lead, Natsu-san." Eve of the Trimens spoke up, while Bob bawled out his feelings. Goldmine tried his best to comfort his acquaintance, and did so by patting her-ehem, his back.

"I never expected you to go down first, though." Ren muttered sadly. Hibiki placed a hand on his shoulder, and took his time crying silently. Beside him stood a frowning Bacchus, who laid down his drinking gourd in front.

"Seriously, Salamander. This is so not funny man, I can't even laugh at your pitiful state." He said with a straight face, and was unusually sober.

"Here's to a peaceful after life."He picked up the gourd, and drank, before returning it and walking away. The others followed, but not before Ichiya finished his goodbye.

"Natsu-kun. You truly are, worthy of being called man. MEN, why is this so sad?!" He cried, chasing after his group.

And the visitors continued their goodbyes, laying their gifts in front of the magnificent piece of art. It was already afternoon, and the crowd had started to dissipate with the rain.

This time, five ladies took up the place in front of the dragon. Taking the lead was a slender, raven-haired woman, who carried a sword, a bow tied on top of her black hair. It was Kagura Mikazuchi, and with her were here guildmates from Mermaid Heel, Milianna close behind.

"Natsu-san, why did it have to end like this…" The cat lover muttered weakly. She remembered what had happened back then in the Tower of Heaven, and how he had took part in liberating her and her friends from the shackles of darkness.

"Did you know him, Milianna?" Ariana, her guildmate, asked after putting down a box of sweets.

"Y-Yeah. He was the leader of the team who helped us in that tower." She replied, tears in her eyes. Milianna looked at their leader, who wore a stoic expression.

"I-I'm sorry, Kagura-san. I promised to introduce you, but-" The swordswoman placed a hand on her mouth, and smiled.

"It is alright, Milianna. It is not your fault; Natsu Dragneel's death was unforeseen."She spoke wistfully.

"Still, I wished I could have talked to him about my brother, but now, that is an impossible thought." She muttered before gesturing for them to leave. Her four teammates started walking, but she stayed behind for a while.

She fished her pockets, hoping to leave a remembrance, but the only thing she found was an ancient, gold coin with indiscernible markings; a reward from a recent quest. Kagura laid it gently, and gazed at the statue.

"For good luck, I do not need it anyway-luck, I mean." She nodded her head, and left, her sword in tow.

"Natsu-san, you can't die yet!" came Sting Eucliff's cries. He was moaning and wailing sadly, his pitiful state noted by some of his friends.

"Sting, remember your position as Guild Master. You must not show weakness…" Rufus Lore stated casually, not really saddened by the death of a hero.

"Let him mourn, Rufus. After all, that's what we came here for, right?" Orga looked around, before putting down a guitar which he had brought along. Rufus turned to him, and shrugged.

"I promised I would surpass you! How am I supposed to do that now?!" Sting's voice was growing hoarser. His partner, Rogue, placed a hand on his shoulder. Lecter, his Exceed, walked towards him and knelt at his side, with Frosch following after.

"You can still surpass him, Sting. You need only focus on becoming the strongest in Fiore-no, the entire world. Natsu Dragneel is indeed powerful, but there might still be wizards who are far stronger than he is." The shadow Dragonslayer spoke sadly, his gaze fixated on the carving of a smiling boy.

"Sting, you will be able to surpass him, I'm sure of it!" Lecter proclaimed adamantly.

"Frosch thinks too!" declared the frog-like Exceed.

As the Sabertooth members left, a girl stayed behind. She was kneeling in front of the figure, her angelic face sullen.

"N-Natsu-sama, why did it have to be you…" Empathy was written all over her face, as she took of the white rose ornament on her hair, and placed it before her. She felt a tug on her clothes, and saw Frosch pulling her.

"Yukino, we should go." The Exceed stated.

"I-I wanted to see him again, but it's impossible, isn't it?" She was smiling, but her eyes betrayed her. Frosch had a sad look on his face.

Before the day ended, the rest of the Fairy Tail members came by to say their final farewells. Nab, Vjeeter, Max, Warren, Reedus, the Connell family and other noteworthy members had left early, leaving behind their goodbye gifts.

Macao, Wakaba and Romeo walked towards the statue, and placed a few things.

"It's what I owed you, Natsu, but I know I have yet to pay my debts in full." Macao laid down a satchel filled with gems.

"I now you don't smoke, kid, but it's the only thing I have with me." He took the pipe he had always used to smoke, and presented it. The youngest came forward, and conjured a ball of flame from different colors; the iridescent glow it showered wasn't put off by the countless raindrops which hit it. Romeo gently placed it down, his face full of tears.

"You may be gone, but your feelings will live on. These flames will never die, like you."

"Let's go, son." Macao managed weakly, and steered his group away from the saddening sight.

And it went on and on.

The Raijinshuu took turns saying their goodbyes. Freed went on about how he and Natsu had never managed to fight seriously. Evergreen replied by saying his ass would definitely be burned for sure. Bixslow was more emotional; apparently he and Natsu were actually closer than people thought, being fellow pranksters and all. He conjured his dolls and made an impromptu role play, reenacting the recent S-class trials. By the end of it, he was crying excessively like the others.

Cana came, carrying with her a century old fire whiskey, together with some other female members of the guild.

"Man, I would've shared this with you, Natsu." She muttered sadly. She was unexpectedly sober, like Bacchus.

"Why do the cute ones always die first?" Laki commented. This girl was always weird.

"Juvia hopes that Natsu-san will rest peacefully." A gloomy water mage stated. Cana let out a small laugh.

"I don't know about that, but this guild will be peaceful alright, with Natsu gone and all." She wiped out a stray tear drop with her hand. Then she put on a rather serious expression.

"Seriously, Natsu. Why?" the brunette asked, but nobody answered her.

Team Shadow Gear muttered quick goodbyes. Jet and Droy were Natsu's close friends, and the impact of his death was too overwhelming for them. Levi laid down a tattered, leather-bound book with the image of a flying Dragon in front.

"I found it, the book you were looking for. It's written in the language you told me, b-but I think it's no use anymore. I'm sorry, Natsu." She cried.

The Strauss siblings took up the space as soon as the previous occupants cleared out. Lisanna was carrying a livid Happy in her arms.

"Natsuuuu, don't leave me!" cried Happy. Lisanna was patting his back while he hugged her, and she too was crying.

"Natsu, isn't it too soon? You haven't even proposed to me yet." She whispered. She used to tease him about them getting engaged and being family, but now she knew, somewhere in her heart, she wanted that last part to come true. Elfman walked closer and hugged the statue.

"Natsu! You are a Man! You are the manliest of men! I swear that I will protect everyone, on my honor as a Man!" He proclaimed, still hugging the stone figure. Lisanna and Happy had to drag him away because he was making a scene, but he didn't want to let go.

Mirajane, the eldest Strauss, tapped her brother on the shoulder. When Elfman saw the grim expression on her sister's face, he finally let go, and left with Lisanna and Happy in tow.

"Natsu, just when I was getting to know you better…" She muttered wistfully. She smiled as she remembered him. Recalling memories from before, she couldn't stop her tears when she remembered his confession at the battlefield. Sure, it was a lie, but at the same time, it was sincere. Mira chuckled as she remembered how foolish she had been to have been tricked by an idiot like Natsu.

An idiot she adored.

"_All these years, I wanted to hear those words."_ Fate must have been cruel, however, she was grateful.

"_If that would've continued, I would've fallen in love with you again, Natsu." _

It was a secret she held, and deeply buried in her heart. She liked Natsu, but she loved her sister as well. She knew that both of them would've fought over him if Lisanna had known, so she did the best thing a sister would do: she killed her feelings, and gave way for her sister.

And now, those feelings resurfaced, even though he was gone. Mira couldn't deny it anymore.

"Natsu." She leaned over and kissed the boy's solid cheek, before she too walked away.

Only four people were left. Team Natsu stood before their leader's memento.

Lucy and Wendy couldn't stop crying. They had gone with it for a good three days now, but still, their tears were fresh. Gray did his best to stop the team from losing morale, but he too faltered. Sure, he disliked Natsu, but he didn't hate him completely. In fact, he respected Natsu, as a rival. He was the last obstacle he would have to surpass in order to be the best, but sadly, he vanished without a trace, and the goal which he had set disappeared with him.

No words were said, as the trio cried their hearts out. They didn't stop crying until evening came.

"It's getting dark; I think we should go now." Gray managed despite the trauma he felt. He led the two girls away from the scene, but not before he nodded at a certain direction.

"You're not coming?" he asked an unnoticed person.

"No, n-not yet. I-I need time, with h-him." the feminine voice replied. Gray nodded again, before he left with the rest.

Erza Scarlet stepped out of the shadows, and took of the black veil from her face. On, her face, she wore an unnatural mask free of emotion, which didn't match her beautiful looks. The weariness from her eyes was gone, and was replaced by a sharp look.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Suddenly, she cried. She had been holding back her tears for too long now. The guilt in her heart made her break her final promise to him.

"Aargh, why?! Natsu, Why did you have to go?! I told you to wait for me, you idiot! Come back here right now, dammit!" She screamed, punching and kicking the statue, which luckily, didn't have a scratch due to the enforced barrier which protected it. This, however, did not deter the Titania to continue her mindless thrashing.

"You Idiot! Why did you go?! Why did you leave?! Aargh, Dammit! Come back, please, Natsu. Come back, I beg you." Five days of pent up stress did their toll on the mighty mage, and she cried, and cried, the downpour getting stronger, as if due to her anguish. She lost the feeling on her legs, and slumped to the cold, hard ground.

When she calmed down, her tears still didn't stop. She placed her forehead against the statue.

"Why did it have to be me? Why would you say those things to me?" She asked. Behind her, a short figure stood, and looked on at the pitiful sight in front of him.

"I haven't even answered your feelings yet. Please, come back, and I'll tell you my feelings. Please." She begged the unmoving statue.

"Natsu, come back to me." A small hand placed itself on her shoulder, but she recognized it.

"Do you love him, Erza?" master Makarov asked. Her cries muffled her answer.

"I do-don't, but I-I do. I-I don't know!" she screamed, clutching her head, still unsure of her decision.

"I-I killed him! He d-died because of me, because of my indecision! I don't deserve to live… I'm pathetic and weak, I couldn't save him, h-he saved me instead-"

"Yet, he loved you. He died, knowing that you would live. Tell me, if you were in that position, wouldn't you do the same thing?" the elder asked gently.

"H-he wasn't supposed to die. He didn't deserve death, he was supposed to come back home to the guild, to his nakama- to me." She added wistfully. Her eyes wandered and saw a tiny inscription on the base of the statue.

"_**Nil Desperandum, Non Omnis Moriar…" **_It read.

"Never Despair, Not All of Me Will Die." The master translated, as if reading her thoughts.

"A few days ago, Natsu and I had a talk. He was saying a lot of those words which were beyond my understanding, and this phrase was one of those." He explained.

"And I know, Erza Scarlet, that you know the meaning behind these words." He finished.

"_Please, don't cry. Promise me you won't cry again."_

Erza's sullen expression changed into a determined one. She wiped off the remnants of her tears, and gave the guild master an appreciative nod. She gave the statue one last glance, before she started her way back home.

Makarov watched as the retreating figure of the Titania disappeared. The rain had stopped, and the winds stopped howling altogether. It was already midnight, and he watched as the remaining lights from the houses of Magnolia's citizens vanished.

Makarov Dreyar stared at the engraved words again, taking note of a smaller batch of words below the ones which were visible. The darkness made it hard to read, and his failing eyesight added to the difficulty, but he knew what was written below.

"_**Interfectum Dracones…" **_

"Dragon Slayer, huh… how fitting." His smile turned into a serious expression.

"The time for grieving has come to an end. Natsu, I have given you the preparation needed for your journey. They might not be able to forget you completely, but they won't be looking for you anymore." He was looking at the sky, which was illuminated by the glow of countless stars.

"Wherever you are, I wish you the best. Your journey is far from over, and the burden you will carry will be the heaviest in your entire life. I-I just hope that you will live to come back here." He gave the statue one last pat, as he too disappeared, his retreating form swallowed by the shadows of the night.

* * *

Erza laid herself on a foreign couch. She didn't bother changing as she prepared for sleep. She couldn't find any beds on the house she had just barged into, so she settled for the piece of torn furniture which seemed to offer the most comfort. Candles were lit in order to give light. The empty hammock which consumed the space above was disregarded. The room was a complete mess, a gathering spot for trash and rubbish, dust and dirt, and broken objects. In a far corner, she noticed a table littered with different objects which she recognized. The remembrances from her previous missions with the team were covered by a thin layer of dust.

The house looked dirty, but it felt like home.

But still, it lacked something, some kind of feeling to complete the nostalgia that she was having.

Instantly, she pictured him with her, and she knew what was missing.

It was his warmth.

She summoned a black scarf out of nowhere, and wrapped it around her. With a simple command, the lights were extinguished.

"Good night, Natsu." She muttered drowsily, sleep taking over her weary body.

It was her fifth night without him.

* * *

**Splash… Roll… Splash… Roll…**

The sounds of ocean waves crashing against the seashore reverberated throughout his ears. As another wave came, he didn't expect himself to hear something else instead.

**Sizzle… Splash… Roll… Sizzle…**

How long had he been out? It felt like forever, being trapped in that absolute oblivion of darkness. An ample amount of salt water managed to hit him on the cheek, and his ears readjusted as the sound of boiling water met his hearing.

"_Save my daughter."_

There it was again. For the millionth time, the female voice called. It wasn't a voice he was familiar with, but as soon as he heard the tone, he couldn't stop thinking of someone.

It was another girl, no- not Eara, not even the small girl he kept seeing, but a different one.

He knew this girl.

A few hours ago, days maybe, he was unconscious. His mind had stopped working, his body had completely been shut down, but somehow, he felt his entire being drifting away, as if he were floating on the ocean.

"_Ocean?" _He thought.

"_Save my daughter."_ There it was again. He saw an image of a woman, probably in her twenties. She was naked, but the thing which caught his attention was her face. She had short, black hair, but apart from that, everything looked the same.

"_Another person from the past?"_ He thought, but he was unsure. He recalled no such person from his vague memories, and the only black haired beauty which he had seen had longer hair, and sharper features. He didn't want to admit it, but that person in his memories was far more beautiful than the one in his mind, but this one felt more familiar.

"_Ultear?" _He asked mentally. The voice replied instantly.

"_I am the ocean. I am the sea. I am Ul." _She proclaimed. He could've sworn he had heard that name before.

"_Save my daughter." _She requested again.

**Sizzle… Splash… Roll… Sizzle…**

The sound of sizzling sea water brought him back to reality. He pushed the lingering thoughts aside.

Natsu Dragneel opened his eyes, his sight blinded by the moon which illuminated the dark sky.

He was lying on the sandy seashore, the island vaguely familiar to him. He stood up and moved further inland as the waves receded, his feet shaky, and felt that he was completely dry. Weird, the tide should have hit him one way or another.

"Am I alive?" He asked himself, completely unsure. If this was Heaven, it didn't look like much. If this was Hell, it looked a lot better than he had pictured it. He walked back towards the murky sea, the ground sizzling with each step he took.

Wait, sizzling? Why the hell was the sandy beach sizzling? It made no sense.

He reached the shoreline, but he tide didn't reach him.

No, it couldn't reach him. As the wave came close, he watched the liquid vanish with a sizzle, smoky vapor left in its wake. He walked further, and was startled by what happened next.

Wherever he walked, the ground dried up, and the sea water evaporated instantaneously, which meant that a few meters off the shore line, he was standing on solid, dry ground, in the middle of water, literally. Three inches from his body, the water failed to reach him. When he looked closer, he realized that he was unconsciously giving off heat from his body; heat so hot that it vaporized the liquid which was trying to surround his body.

He went back inland, the water parting ways to let him pass. He was like that Moss, no Moth- ah he forgot the name- dude from the stories, who split the sea in half; only, he was hotter, literally speaking.

"What the hell is happening?" Natsu asked himself. He set his back against a nearby tree, and felt a surge of power coming out from his body. The tree's base collapsed, and the trunk came falling towards him. He didn't have time to react, but he didn't need to. As soon as the tree came close, it turned into ashes, trunk and all.

Natsu looked at his hands, and he froze.

Black flames dance on his palms, an eerie feeling of darkness contained in them. He expected warmth to erupt from the flames, but instead—

A cold wave of dread washed over him. He clutched his chest with his still burning palms, feeling his beating heart.

It was odd; he felt something, yet, he felt nothing. It was as if a void had appeared in place of his heart.

"_I'd forsake my love for your happiness." _He remembered himself saying these words.

In that very instant, an excruciating pain overwhelmed his senses. He arched his back, his spine and the rest of his body tingling with electricity. Black flames consumed his body and covered his sight.

He had felt this pain before once, but he had never gotten used to it.

"Aaargh!" He screamed, his eyes rolling back.

Yes, he had felt it once; when his **Second Origin** had been forced open.

In the distance, his dimming vision saw the silhouette of a petite girl walking in his direction. He reached out his hand, and realized her resemblance to that of the girl in his memories.

She a stopped few feet from him, and despite the torment he was enduring, she smiled.

"It's been a while, Natsu." She murmured.

He couldn't take the pain anymore. He fainted as soon as he took in the features of the girl.

Blond, wavy hair, and eyes which seemed to change color in the light. Wing like ornaments in her hair, and fluttering, iridescent wings on her back.

"The Fifth seal has been undone. The Third Origin has been unleashed." Natsu heard her say before his senses betrayed him. His unconscious body fell on the ground, the black, ghastly flames extinguished completely.

"Natsu Dragneel, your journey starts here."

* * *

**Translations:**

**Requiescat in pace- **Rest in Pieces- erm, Peace… (R.I.P.)

**In somnis veritas**- In dreams, there is truth.

**Nil Desperandum, Non Omnis Moriar**- Never despair, not all of me shall die

**Interfectum Dracones**- Dragon Slayer

* * *

'**Sup guys? **

**Miss me? Hahaha, course you don't!**

**To start off, an apology for the wait. Actually, I was going to wrap this up last week, with Sem break and all, but I got distracted and sidetracked, a lot. Why you ask? Well, plenty of reasons really, like reading House of Hades **(It's amazing! You guys should read it too…), **watching/reading missed anime episodes and manga **(SAO was great, Kaminomi season 3 was also good…), **light novels **(I haven't begun SAO, and High School DxD took up most of my friggin' time!)** and bouts of laziness **(sleeping all day, staying up all night!)** to mention a few. Speaking of SAO, I had an obvious reference somewhere, so go look for it.**

**So yeah, another cliff hanger for the next update. You might notice that this chapter's pretty long, cause actually, this was supposed to be two chapters, but I ultimately merged them into one. And yes, if you're wondering about it, the last two chapters were flashbacks from me-the narrator's point of view. Yes, I know you're confused, and sick of flashbacks. Luckily, Erza's flashbacks end here. I'll emphasize Natsu's adventure in the next chapters, so you won't be seeing that many FT members for a while. Natsu's going to be on the OC side as well, and he's going to become a crybaby!** (not really, just kidding.) **Natsu's past will be explained bit by bit in the next chapters, as well as the significance of the sword **(if you don't know, its named Ascalon-from the legends.)**, and his nifty new abilities.** (I know black flames are cliche', but trust me, I've got nice plot lines.)

**Dunno when the next update's coming, but expect for it somewhere in November- and again, it would be kind of long. If you're sick of long chapters, then tell me, and maybe I might shorten them. **(might... I don't like writing short stories.) **I've finished sketching some stuff, but I've yet to decide on what to put up. **(I'm good at drawing, but mediocre at coloring...)** And yes, I'm planning on writing another story alongside this one, but that comes later. **(which would you prefer- FTxTo-Love-Ru, or FTxHigh School DxD? I've got ideas, but I can't decide.)

**Aah... I'm seriously tired... I had my birthday yesterday actually, which is why I only uploaded this now. Another year to live my life, another year closer to adulthood... It's sooo nice to be young.**

**Drop by and say hi-I mean, review!**

**..._P__ax_...**

**-Blake-**


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